The Last Sacrifice
by Totally Oblivious
Summary: My version of The Last Sacrifice! Will contain lemons / violence / blood etc - so rating M to be safe. Will be quite long chapters, and hopefully the characters will seem canon Realistic . Not filled with complete Romance, will follow like a story.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note:

Hey! So this is my first Vampire Academy story J I haven't been on as a writer for a long time, so hopefully I'm not too rusty :P I have been reading through quite a lot of the VA stories on here but haven't really found one like this… so thought I'd give it a shot and write it for myself ! It's actually based on what I had hoped would happen (and want to happen L ) in The Last Sacrifice, so let's get going :D

KEY:

This is just some text - regular actions / writing.

_This is just some text _- italicized words are for emphasis, however, this: _'This is just some text' - _is thoughts. (will have ' ' around them, making them clear they are thoughts.)

"**This is just some text" **- Speech.

Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure 3

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It was ironic, really, me sitting on this bed, knees drawn into myself as my arms hugged round them, chin resting on my knees, hoping to god I wouldn't see him of all people. Wasn't it just days ago Dimitri was in a similar situation, not wishing to see me? The only difference was I doubted I would be let out on good behavior anytime soon.

The sudden scrape of the metal door leading to the cells opening alerted me from my sulking, though I didn't glance up to know who it was. Lissa, my best friend. The bond we shared told me as much, though I had spent the last two weeks avoiding looking through it, ignoring any emotions she sent my way. I heard the guards telling her that they would be at the other side of the door if she needed them before they left, as though I was planning to attack her or something.

"**Rose…" **Her voice was little more than a whisper, though she knew I heard I. But I didn't look up.

"**Rose, talk to me, please." **Still, I didn't respond. I knew I was being a total bitch, but then again, didn't I have a reason too? I was locked away in a prison cell, awaiting the trail for supposedly murdering the Queen - Tatianna. Excuse me for having an attitude problem.

"**I'm so sorry…" **The sound of Lissa's sob finally forced a response out of me. I knew how I was acting was unforgivable. It wasn't her fault I was here, and I knew she was only trying to comfort me. She was risking everything to come see me like she was, and I knew it was hard for her having to face the harsh words of the other Moroi around her, all who was sure I have killed their precious queen.

"**You've got nothing to apologise for Liss." **My voice was no more than a whisper, her throat dry from the lack of water they supplied me. It was like being a prisoner of Tarasov prison in Alaska, kept weak with lack of food and water so that they could manage me better - which in truth I didn't blame them, I had been a handful…

With a sigh, I lifted my head and turned to face her, looking at her for the first time in two weeks. Of course, she hadn't changed much. Liss was still as beautiful, with long blond hair, bright green eyes and a tall, slim figure. She was wearing regular jeans and a crème cashmere sweater. However, upon further inspection it was easy to notice the things that hadn't been there before. The deep purple circles under her eyes, for instance.

"**You not been sleeping? You need your strength, Liss." **I saw the trace of a faint smile on her lips, though she still kept her expression grim, worried. She was leaning against the bars of my cell, her face pressed between the bars.

"**How can I sleep knowing your locked in here Rose? You have no idea how worried I've been - how worried we've all been, Adrian especially, though his mother wont let him come…" **Her voice trailed off apologetically, and I smiled at her kindly. Lissa didn't know this, but Adrian had in fact been visiting me in my dreams every night. I had seen how worried he was, and It was eating at me, too. His usual behaviour (Excessively drinking and smoking) had been intensified, and it seemed there wasn't even a second when Adrian wasn't drunk or chain smoking.

Still, he wasn't the person I wanted to hear about…

"**And how's… how's Dimitri been?" **I lowered my eyes when I asked the question, knowing the look Lissa would give when she mentioned him. They had gotten so close over the last couple of weeks after the changed him back, and though I knew he didn't see her the way he had seen me, it still hurt, especially when he even refused to feel for me.

"**He's been doing really well. More and more people are beginning to warm up to him now, believe that he is a Dhampir again… It's only a matter of time before they let him off completely. He only has one guard now, you know, and he's pretty much allowed to go where ever he wants, though he still prefers to sit in the courtyard and read his novels…" **

Her voice trailed off, and I felt the lump at my throat at how easily she spoke of him, the proud and protectiveness of her tone when she mentioned him, and the humour she used when she spoke of hum and 'his novels'.

"**Tha… That's really good to hear." **My voice was just a whisper, and I was pretty sure Lissa had detected the hurt I felt, though I tried not to let it show.

"**He still cares about you Rose, I know he does, if we just give him some more time…" **I held up my hand, cutting her off. I didn't want to hear this, I didn't need her pity.

"**No. He's made it clear where he stands with us." **Silence filled the room. The groan of the door signaled the return of the guards.

"**Princess, times up I'm afraid." **I kept my eyes on my interlocked fingers, keeping my arms locked in place which in turn were holding up my knees. In my perpetual vision, I saw Lissa sigh, and push herself away from the bars, stretching as she did so. With a long glance at me, she hesitated.

"**Bye Rose… I'll come back when I can, okay? Everything's going to be fine you know…" **I considered not answering, but couldn't help the words that left my lips, filling with more sarcasm and spite than I had intended.

"**No Lissa, everything's **_**not**_** going to be fine, and I wish you'd just see that already!" **She flinched at my words, and wish a last, worried glance at me, finally followed the guards out. I returned my head to my lap, continuing my usual sulking routine. I knew I had been out of order with her, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel hopeful when, clearly, there was no hope. All evidence pointed at me, and the sooner I accepted my fate, the better.

Closing my eyes, I decided to catch some sleep, seeing as there was nothing else to do, except wait.

I woke to hear the sound of the prison doors opening. No doubt the guards with my meal, probably bread and cheese… again. It wouldn't have been so bad, if the damned bread wasn't so salty and had at least some butter on it, and if they gave me more water than a small glass full. Salty bread plus little water equaled a bad combination. Which is probably what they hoped.

I didn't even bother to look up, which was normally how this went down. They would put the food down, then leave. I would wait a few minuets, then go retrieve the food, eat it fairly quickly, then return to my normal position curled up into a ball, as though nothing had happened.

But this time seemed different.

I waited for the sound of the plastic bowl and cup to be left jut outside my bars where I could grab them, then the sound of the guard leaving. But it never came. Instead I heard the sound of shuffling as various pairs of feet shuffled into my holding block. Curiously I lifted my head, my eyes widening at what I saw.

Lissa, Christian, and Adrian all stood in my cell block, with Eddy fumbling around with a big bunch of keys, trying to find the right one for my prison door. Lissa stood with her back to me, facing the doorway, probably keeping a look out for guards.

"**Little dhampir…" **I turned my head at the mentioning of my nickname, seeing Adrian for the first time in person since the trail. Like Lissa, he had dark circles under his eyes, his usual perfectly sculptured hair now a perfect mess, his shirt creased and slightly askew. His expression was soft as he stared at me, his hands reaching through the bars towards me.

"**Come on Eddie, cant you move any faster?"** It was Christian who now held my attention. He was stood hovering over Eddie, trying to help him find the right key. I heard Eddie mumble something back, but my eyes turned back to Adrian in wonder.

"**What are you guys doing?" **Adrian grinned, whilst Christian rolled his eyes, clearly impatient at Eddie's slow finding of the key. Never the less, he turned his attention towards me, his face it's usual mask of sarcasm and taunting.

"**What's it look like we're doing Rose? We're busting you out of here, clearly." **I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. The lack of energy made coherent thought pretty difficult, and the fact that I was seriously in need of a good nights sleep probably didn't help either.

"**I don't understand, why? How? You'll never get away with this…" **Adrian cut me off.

"**Won't we?"** He held up his hand, his smile wider, showing off the glittering silver jewelery on his fingers and wrist. I turned to look at Christian and Eddy, and sure enough they were sporting similar charmed jewelery, exactly as we had used to break into Tarasov Prison. I was shocked that Lissa had charmed more.

Before I could ask more seemingly obvious questions, the relieved woop from Eddie caught my attention, and I saw that he had at last found the right key. With a quick turn, the door flew open, and Eddie reached my side in seconds.

"**Can you walk Rose?" **I nodded slightly, uncurling myself from my ball like position. My limbs felt stiff, my muscles protesting at the movement. I stood up shakily, before wobbling. I would probably have hit the floor if Eddie hadn't reached out and lifted me into his arms. I squirmed in his arms in protest.

"**I can walk myself…" **I grumbled, though I knew full well they didn't have time to watch me hobble around. Ignoring me, Eddie ran for the door which Lissa was standing at, and I could see that she wasn't guarding it, but watching the person who was through the doors, at the entrance of the prison waiting room itself, surrounded by the unconscious forms of my former guards.

I felt my heart slam into my rib cage at the sight of him.

"**Dimitri we've got her…"** He nodded once, looking at me with those deep, dark brown eyes of his. I felt my stomach twist with the look in them. Relief, worry, and something else I was afraid to confirm. Just as quickly as he glanced at me, however, he was moving again down the hall, leading the way. As we ran, I felt a hand brush my arm gently. I turned my head to see Lissa's worried gaze, her expression determined. It was obvious she was speaking through the bond, and I opened it up to her, at least feeling the wash of her emotions. Fear, relief, worry, anticipation, but most of all, unsure. She must have thought I was mad at her.

'_Are you okay?' _I nodded in Eddie's arms, and she smiled in return. _'I was going to tell you about this earlier but… I… well, it doesn't matter now. I just hope this works…' _I nodded my head. So did I… it was one thing having me in trouble, but risking Lissa and Christian as well? And not forgetting Eddie, I'd already gotten him in trouble. Adrian, no doubt, was no longer free to do what he wished after Tatianna's death, and I didn't want him to get into any more trouble with his mother than he was.

Then there was Dimitri.

A stunt like this might bring him all the way back to square one, or worse… have him killed for being a strigoi. I hated risking my friends.

I could hear the distant cries of Guardian behind us, obviously having found the prison area empty. Eddie began to speed up, following Dimitri's lead. I could hear the labored breathing of Christian, Adrian and Lissa. Their bodies weren't as trained for running like ours, and they had quickly become tired.

I began feel myself slipping. I was too weak, the jostling movements of Eddie's own running making my vision dizzy, my head beginning to feel fuzzy as I began to feel the darkness begin to settle. I was losing consciousness. With a sigh, I cast one last look at Dimitri's strong form ahead, his muscles under his top shifting with each long stride, his hair which he had tied into a pigtail was swaying.

I fell asleep to the sound of running footsteps and laboured breaths.

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Authors Note:

So, what you guys think of the first chapter? Of course, more action will be happening later on, I just want to make the plotline semi okay before I begin with the whole romancy thing you know? XD Let me know what you think, reviews would rock! [;


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note:

Chapter two! Of course, things should start picking up now :D Not quiiite sure how I'm going to go with this, but like most things in life, I'll decide when it comes to it XD Right now I have a pretty solid idea what will happen, so the next few chapters should come smoothly! Hope you enjoy!

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure!

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Recap:

_I began feel myself slipping. I was too weak, the jostling movements of Eddie's own running making my vision dizzy, my head beginning to feel fuzzy as I began to feel the darkness begin to settle. I was losing consciousness. With a sigh, I cast one last look at Dimitri's strong form ahead, his muscles under his top shifting with each long stride, his hair which he had tied into a pigtail was swaying. _

_I fell asleep to the sound of running footsteps and laboured breaths._

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_

So slowly, I could feel myself coming round. Of course, it was hard not too, what with all the jolty movements going on around me. With every jolt I practically rose off whatever I was currently sat on, though I was aware that each time a pair of strong arms held me down, pulling me safely towards them. I could feel the heat off whoever it was.

With a moan, I opened my eyes, aware that it was pitch black, and that I was in a car. It was one of these people carrier cars, with the drivers seat and passenger seat, three middle seats then two back seats. I was furthest at the back. I could see Eddie in the front seat, with Dimitri sat next to him, his pigtail now neatly redone and driving the car. Eddie had a map spread in front of him, and in hushed tones he was directing Dimitri.

The middle seats were occupied by Lissa and Christian, who both appeared to be sleeping. Lissa's head was resting on Christians shoulder, with his arm around her protectively. Through the bond I could feel that Lissa was in fact a sleep, and totally warn out. She had used a lot of spirit energy today.

That left me at the back. I knew instantly who I was next too, the faint smell of some alcoholic drink and clove cigarettes giving him away. My heart thudded against my chest at the smell, so familiar to me this last month and so that my heart couldn't help but respond to it.

_Adrian. _

When I had groaned, he had leaned his head down to look at me, and I was aware that I was in a similar position to Lissa and Christian, with my head resting on Adrian's shoulder and his arm around his waste. I felt his hand tighten.

"**Rose… Thank god! I was so worried they had drugged you or something…"** I shook my head groggily, sitting up straight, aware of the ache in my muscles. I really was tired, physically anyway. My senses and mind on the other hand, were working over time.

"**Where are we?" **I looked out of the window curiously, aware of the passing lights of a street and cars coming in the opposite direction to us. Other than the road, all I could see was darkness. Adrian opened his mouth to answer my question, but the answer came from the front seats, from Dimitri, to be exact. Typically, his voice was well controlled, almost cold even.

"**We are heading to a private airport. Zmey is expecting us." **

The mention of my fathers name had me leaning forwards alert, causing Adrian to have to lean forwards with me to keep the grip on my waste, which he didn't seem in any rush to release.

"**Wait… Abe is waiting there? Why is he there? How long have you all been planning this…" **Suspicion clouded my tone as I turned towards Adrian, knowing he would give me my answers. I glared at him, making it clear I was not impressed with all this secrecy. He smiled sheepishly, and I heard a sigh from the front seat. Clearly, I was boring _somebody_…

"**We planned this as soon as we found out the trial had been post postponed until after the queens funeral and a new queen appointed. The whole funeral itself is taking long enough to plan, never mind then waiting for the council to come to some decision. We couldn't let you stay there any longer Rose…" **

His voice trailed off, his expression sad. Instantly, my anger faded and my own expression softened. Twisting in my seat, I turned to place my hand on Adrian's cheek, smiling as he let out a content sigh and leaned into my hand. After all the trouble they had gone through to get me out of there, I knew I had no right to be angry. They were all just looking out for me, and how I could I be mad at something like that?

"**Still, I wish you could have told me first. I might have been able to help some how…" **I tried to keep my voice as stern as it had been before, but I knew it had lost it's previous anger. Adrian just grinned, but this time it was Eddie who answered.

"**Seriously Rose, had you **_**looked **_**at yourself recently? You're hardly in any state to be fighting off legions of guardians…" **He laughed to himself, and I glared at his reflection in the rear mirror. I saw him grin back at me, and before long I myself couldn't help but smile. It was nice to be on friendly terms with Eddie again.

"**So, are we there yet?" **I heard the collective moans from Eddie, Dimitri and Adrian, and couldn't help but smile wider.

"**Looks like she's back people."** I threw Eddie my signature eye roll, but snuggled back against Adrian again, letting my body relax once more. I was so tired it was unreal. Closing my eyes, I let the sounds of the passing cars and wind howling lull me into a sort of half sleeping trance. I could hear Eddie and Dimitri carry on their assessment of the map, and was dully aware of the slight pressure to my head as Adrian stroked my hair.

"**It's okay, my little dhampir… you get some sleep." **

And I did.

I woke once again with the feeling of weightlessness. It was obvious I was being carried, and though my eyes were still shut, I could see behind my lids the red glow of sunlight. It was obviously morning now, where ever we was.

Prying my eyes open, I looked around myself blearily. We were walking in what looked like a small clearing in a very dense woodland. The sun was just peeking over the trees, and the soft hoots and calls of the wildlife made the whole thing so calming. However, I could see the angry grey clouds approaching from our right, threatening to release the storm it had brewing. The air was frosty.

Above my head I could see the face of Eddie, his expression wary from his own exhaustion, though I knew he would never admit it, nor give in to sleep until she was sure everyone was safe, the area secure.

Up ahead I could see Lissa and Christian holding hands, with Dimitri taking the lead as usual. He was walking towards a small wooden cabin, set a little back into the trees. Lifting my head fully, I glanced behind Eddie's shoulder at the people carrier, parked in the shadow of the trees, and could see the small dusty path that had lead us up to this cabin.

Movement at the corner of my eye showed Adrian walking at the side of Eddie, behind my head, his own expression of utter exhaustion. He turned, meeting my eyes and smiled weakly, reaching out to stroke his hand across my cheek gently. I closed my eyes at the intimate gesture, letting his soft fingers stroke my face lightly before it pulled away.

"**Morning, sleepyhead." **It was Eddie who spoke above me, his face now turned towards me, a smile playing on his lips in amusement. I grinned, faking a yawn and stretching widely in his hands, still aware of my aching muscles.

"**Mmm, I could get used to this…" **I meant him carrying me everywhere, and he rolled his eyes, though I knew he knew I was joking. Lissa had turned around at the sound of my voice, and she halted in her tracks to hover at Eddie's other side, leaving Christian to carry on ahead. She looked at me worriedly.

"**Are you okay Rose?" **I could feel the concern through our bond, and I nodded in answer, smiling at her as widely as I could, showing her I was okay.

'_Just a little tired, but I'm fine, really. How're you?' _I spoke through our bond, not really keen on letting the others hearing me admit I was feeling weak. I had a reputation to keep, after all, and no doubt this whole letting Eddie carry my business had taken a major chunk out of it. No point making it worse.

'_I'm fine, just, you know, tired. We decided to make a pit stop to the airport, since it looked like a storm was coming. There was no point forcing ourselves when we're all too tired to drive, let alone defend you…' _She sighed, her face smiling as she rested her hand on my ankle lightly, knowing I hated to think I needed people to defend me. I frowned at the statement, though before I could answer, Eddie stopped walking.

I looked to see why we had stopped and saw Dimitri stood at the door of the cabin with Christian. Reaching forwards, he shoved against the door with some pressure, forcing the creaky wooden door open. Stepping inside, he disappeared into the darkness for a few seconds, leaving Christian still stood by the door, poised. My breath caught in my throat, waiting for him to come out.

The minutes ticked by. Still, _silence_.

Just as quickly as he had walked into the cabin, Dimitri was stepping out, nodding to Christian, then to Eddie. As he looked at Eddie, I saw his eyes glance at me quickly, before he turned on his heel back into the cabin. But that one look was all it took to restart my breathing. Christian followed him inside, then Adrian and Lissa. Me and Eddie walked in last, and he used his leg to kick the door shut, and instantly I was hit by the smell of musty air. The cabin was no warmer than the frosty air outside, and still my breath left my lips in puffy clouds.

It took me seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dark cabin. There were no windows, just wooden walls and wooden furniture. The room we had entered was clearly the main sitting area, filled with two sofas, a three seater and a two seater, with a bookshelf up against the wall with a small coffee table. Behind them was a small kitchen, the worktops made of wood and the stove an old bbq style one set into a drip. It was clear a fire was required to cook, no electricity.

Along the far wall to the door was four more doors, all pushed open, revealing three bedrooms with three made up double beds and simple furnishings of dressers and stools. The last door revealed what looked like a study, with a wooden desk and stool, with various bookshelves on the wall.

"**Everyone might as well get some sleep. There's no point exhausting ourselves more. We will sleep here and ride out the storm. When it's over we will head to the airport."** It was Dimitri who spoke, leaning against one of the kitchen counters. Everyone began nodding in unison, all agreeing with the plan of sleeping. Lissa and Christian began backing towards the room closed to the bathroom, whilst Eddie led me to the end bedroom - the one closest to the kitchen and placed me down on the bed, before looking around guardedly. I sighed.

"**I'm fine Eddie. I'm sure If everyone breaks through that wall I can take them, even like this."** He laughed as though I had told the worlds funniest joke, but did not argue with me. Instead he turned to the door and walked outside to join Dimitri leaning against the kitchen counter, just right of my door frame and out of site.

I began pulling the duvet up on the bed as I slid into the covers, noticing they were slightly scratchy. Still, scratchy or not, it was pure bliss. As I let out a content sigh, preparing myself for _more_ sleep - god knows how many hours I had spent passed out today - I heard a slight cough at the door. Turning my face to the door, my head the only thing poking out of the covers, I could see the dark outline of Adrian at my doorway. He shuffled, clearly nervous.

Raising my hand from the covers, I held it out as an invitation for him to take it. With a smile, he began walking towards my hand, taking it into his own as he stood at the side of my bed. Out in the hall, I could hear the whispers of Eddie and Dimitri, obviously discussing some sort of guard shift pattern for the night.

Without a word, I shuffled back from the bed towards the end pushed against the wall, pulling Adrian over as I did so he crawled to where I was laid. We didn't speak. Slowly, he pulled the covers up and crawled in next to me, turning to face me in the darkness. We stayed like that for a while, just staring.

"**I missed you, little dhampir…" **Adrian's voice was just a whisper. I smiled, scooting across the bed so that I was pressed against his chest, and instantly his arms wrapped around me. I sighed into the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth from his body. He rested his head on the top of mine, and let out a content sigh of his own. Slowly, I kissed his neck lightly, giving him my own answer, feeling the vibrations of his body as he moaned lowly.

"**Me too…"** I felt his arms tighten more, and I pressed myself even closer, now crushed against Adrian, every part of my body against his. With another sigh, I closed my eyes, and was once again swept off to sleep. I really was exhausted.

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Authors Note:

There's the second chapter guys :D I know it's not been very eventful yet, but I promise it will pick up…. Cute little moment with Adrian and Rose there ^.^ For all you Dimitri x Rose fans - don't worry, their moment will come :O


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note:

And heeere's chapter three. I'm rolling out the chapters really fast right now since I'm going on holiday tomorrow for two weeks ( :O ) to Turkey, so I was hoping to get as much written as I can… any other time I'd have like, a chapter a week or something xD Anyway, this chapter DOES have a slight lemon, as well as…. Touching… so just so you know :D

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

"_**I missed you, little dhampir…" **__Adrian's voice was just a whisper. I smiled, scooting across the bed so that I was pressed against his chest, and instantly his arms wrapped around me. I sighed into the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth from his body. He rested his head on the top of mine, and let out a content sigh of his own. Slowly, I kissed his neck lightly, giving him my own answer, feeling the vibrations of his body as he moaned lowly._

"_**Me too…"**__ I felt his arms tighten more, and I pressed myself even closer, now crushed against Adrian, every part of my body against his. With another sigh, I closed my eyes, and was once again swept off to sleep. I really was exhausted. _

_

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_

My dreams were restless, aided by the ongoing flashing and loud booms of thunder and lightning of the storm. Rain pelted the cabin, making the frosty air that much colder. Every time I managed to drift off to sleep my dreams would twist, my happy thoughts I was hoping to dream about morphing into a strange mix of dark colours, deserted forests and the sense that I was being followed, being watched. I felt restless.

The seventh time I woke up I decided to give sleep a miss for now. I had slept the majority of the last 24 hours anyway, and with the storm going on outside doubted I would get a restful sleep anyway. Lifting my head, I smiled down at Adrian, his arm resting under my head and the rest of his body flailed out. I knew he was a deep sleeper, he would sleep through this storm no trouble at all.

Lifting my head slowly, I still made sure to make as little noise as possible as I left the room, making a right turn towards the kitchen. Though I had gotten quite a lot of sleep, my energy still had not returned, most likely from my lack of suitable food and water these last two weeks. My stomached muscles ached, and my throat burned. I hobbled around, barely able to walk in a straight line, my head feeling dizzy, aware of how cold it was outside the covers.

The only light in the cabin was the various flashes of lightning under the door, but it was all I needed really. My eyes had always been sensitive to darkness. Reaching for the first cupboard, I began to ransack them, looking for something which would help bring up my energy. I was so hungry, so thirsty it was unreal.

Pulling a jar of cookies from the shelf, I began to stuff my face with the dry oatmeal tasting cookies, and though they were most definitely stale, I still devoured them as if they were the most delicious meal in the world. Before I could eat past four, however, my thirst peaked, reminding me that I had other needs. Still clutching the cookie jar under my arm I stumbled towards the sink, turning the tap lightly. The pipes grumbled and made a slight metallic groan, but other than that nothing happened. Like electricity, this place also seemed to lack water. I felt my heart drop.

"**Thirsty?" **I whirled as the voice cut through the otherwise stormy silence and turned to find Dimitri leaning against one of the counters of the kitchen, watching me with amusement. As I stared into his eyes in shock, I realised he was motioning with his hand for me to take something. Glancing down, I caught a glimpse of a bottle of water, and without taking my eyes from him, reached out and took it, unscrewing the lid and guzzling down the liquid like there was no tomorrow, letting out a moan of pleasure. The burn in my throat began to dim.

After I had drained the bottle, I set it down on the counter, letting out a slight sigh of satisfaction. I turned to look at Dimitri again, and saw that his expression had changed to one of anguish. His eyes seemed to plea at me, though I wasn't sure how to react. We stood like that for some time, simply staring at one another, drinking in one another's features before his eyes dropped down to the cookie jar tucked under my arm.

"**Are you hungry?" **I shook my head and cleared my throat to speak, though my voice was still no more than a whisper, like his.

"**No, I was mostly thirsty. Thank you… for the water."** He nodded, his face now a blank guardian mask. My eyes dipped to the floor, suddenly feeling self conscious. **"And thank you for helping rescue me, too."** I didn't look up when he answered, instead following the grains of the wood on the floor, watching the swirling patterns of the wood.

"**I didn't do this for you, Rose. I did it for Vasilisa. She asked me to help her, and I did. I am forever in her debt."** I glanced up at the harsh words, and like before when he spoke of Lissa, Dimitri's expression suddenly became soft, gentle as his eyes looked past me, as though seeing her behind him. I scowled at the floor, stung by his words.

"**Well, that's good to know. Now if you excuse me, I think I'll catch a bit more sleep…"** As I began to step around him, now standing by his side Dimitri suddenly spoke again, the content and bitter tone of his words halting me in my tracks.

"**Ah yes. I saw Ivashkov head into your room last night. How's the bite?" **I whirled to face him, my expression shocked and horrified. I realised we were just centimeters apart, but I still refused to back off, anger now flooding through me. He was definitely out of order.

"**It's none of your business who comes into my room!" **His own expression never faltered, his face in it's normal Guardian mask, completely emotionless, strict. His tone, however, was spiteful and harsh.

"**I suppose not, but I promised Vasilisa I would get you away safely, and I cant do that if your weak from bloodloss, can I?" **I knew he was making petty excuses, and deep down at the back of my mind a voice was telling me it was only because he was jealous. But I was too angry to listen to reason, to any explanation, and instead I held up my hand, jabbing my finger at him as I began to stalk forwards, filling the space more.

"**How dare you! As If I would…" **Before I could defend myself, my eyes suddenly blacked out, and though I had been heading towards Dimitri, suddenly I was making a beeline to the floor, my cookie jar slipping from my hand and landing with a hollow thud at my feet. Before I made contact, however, I felt strong arms wrap around me, holding me up. My eyes closed momentarily, trying to steady my vision and wooziness.

"**Roza are you alright?" **His voice was panicked in my ear and filled with worry. But I couldn't answer. My breathing had accelerated, my heart rate going overtime as the smell of his aftershave trailed over me, the feel of his strong arms around me heating my cold body. I whimpered slightly, holding back a sob as the memories of how we used to be flooded back to me.

"**Roza…"** I felt the arms wrapped around me tighten, shifting me so that I was pressed against his chest fully, my face in his shoulder. I shivered at the sudden warmth, and snuggled closer, pressing my face into the crook of his neck. I could feel him shiver, then sigh, resting his face against the top of my head.

I couldn't help myself. The sudden proximity, the smell of him, everything was bringing back memories, sudden and sharp reminders of our past. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him closer. His own arms responded by wrapping closer around me, and I let out a sigh of my own, before moving my lips to his neck, kissing lightly before suckling. I felt him moan, and carried on with slightly more pressure.

Suddenly one of his arms trailed up to my neck, pulling at the hair so that my head tilted back to face him. He looked down at me, his eyes filled with the same passion I suddenly felt. I knew form his eyes he felt the same way. Heat flared up all over my body, my heart thumping wildly as I closed my eyes, learning up to him, waiting for the touch of his lips…

Which never came. He pulled me up into a standing position before releasing me, the sudden draft of cold air making me shiver, my eyes searching his for some reason, but his hard mask was back. He was backing away from me, walking away towards the sofas.

"**You should return to your room. We're setting off early." **That was all he said. Rejection flooded through me, my mind searching over everything I had done looking for some mistake I couldn't find. It had all felt so perfect, so natural. Tears sprang to my eyes, though I refused to let him see. Instead, I stalked off towards my room, climbing over the sleeping Adrian to snuggle back under the covers, turning my back to the doorway so I faced the wall.

Pushing my face into the pillow, I sobbed quietly, not understanding what I had done wrong. I thought over my actions, slowly letting my tears and sobs stop. Now I just felt angry. Before I could think it over too much, however, I felt Adrian shift behind me, turning so that he was pulling me back against his body, spooning me. His face went to my neck, lips turned up to my ear.

"**Are you awake my little dhampir?"** Lightly, Adrian began to kiss from the start of my shoulder up to the under part of my ear. I shivered despite my anger, feeling my tense body sink back against him, turning my head slightly towards him. My rejection had spurred in me a sudden need to be wanted, and Adrian's attention was most definitely helping.

"**I am now…"** I made my voice as seductive as I could, feeling his arm twist around so that he was hugging me, his other slipping up my head. I leaned back into him closer, thrusting back in a way I knew would spark a reaction. Adrian groaned, leaning forwards to press his already semi hard self into my butt. I grinned.

"**Ah… you will be the death of me Rose…" **He chuckled after he spoke, and my smile widened. I trusted back once more, before turning quickly so that I was on top of him, sitting up so that I was kneeling on either side of him. I saw his eyes widen, before clouding over with sudden desire. I grinded my hips slightly, leaning forwards so that my hair swung over one shoulder while I pressed my face into his neck, my mouth licking and sucking at his neck whilst my hands roamed over his chest.

"**Rose…" **Adrian groaned, thrusting up to meet my hips, his hands locking onto my back pulling me closer. Lifting my head, I moved my lips to his mouth, kissing him lightly before deepening the kiss, opening my mouth slightly and letting my tongue lick his bottom lips slightly. He opened his lips for me willingly, as we clung to each other desperately, needing to be closer. His hands moved from my back to my hips, pushing them down harder so that I ground him harder. I groaned as I felt my center brush his hardness.

Suddenly we was a mess of flying clothes as we both rushed to remove each others clothing as fast as we could. When we was both naked, Adrian was laying on top of me, his mouth connecting to mine again as he kissed me deeply, his hands trailing from my hips to my arms, whilst mine curled around his neck, one gripping his hair pulling him closer if that was possible.

I felt his legs slide between mine, pushing them apart and I knew what was happening. Panic set in, and I wondered if I should stop this. Adrian seemed to sense my hesitation and stopping kissing me to look into my eyes, both of us breathing insanely loudly.

"**We don't have to if you don't want too…"** I knew he wanted too, that he wanted this badly, and right now, so did I. I pulled his head back to mine, kissing him, letting him know that I did want this. His hand trailed up my body towards my breast, cupping it lightly as I arched my back towards him, aware of the hard pressure against the inside of my thigh as I did so. I moaned, loving the feeling of his hand massaging my breast, his thumb grazing my hardened nipped lightly. I arched my hips up again, wanting to feel him closer.

Adrian seemed to have the same want, as at the same down he positioned himself, so that when I arched up his hardness pressed against my center gently, entered just slightly, his mouth moving to the crook of my neck, preparing to enter. I gasped at the feeling, suddenly hyper aware of what we was doing.

"**Wait no… stop Adrian stop…"** I was gasping, tugging on his hair telling him to stop. He lifted his head to stare at me, his eyes slightly unfocused. He stared into them until with a flash they locked onto mine in confusion, now fully alert.

"**I.. What? I thought you wanted this…"** I held my finger to his lips shushing him, hating the way his voice pleased.

"**I **_**do**_** want this Adrian, I just… I cant risk having a child, not now. There's so much I want to do and…" **It was the same argument I had given him back at the court. Adrian nodded slowly, his eyes still filled with disappointment. With a sigh, he shifted to the side as I was suddenly filed with a sense of Déjà vu. I turned towards him, frowning. Cupping his face in my hands, I spoke lowly, making sure that he heard me clearly.

"**I never said stop… remember last time? You said that was the best none sex you've ever had… we could… you know, I could let you…" **I dropped my hands from his face, shoving my hair off my shoulder revealing my neck to him. Adrian's eyes locked onto my throat, his expression suddenly turning hungry. He learned towards me, before stopping to look at me briefly.

"**Aren't you feeling weak?" **I shook my head. Though I was still feeling weak, I knew that all I needed, really, was a proper meal and some more water. This would be fine… I turned around to that my back was too him, leaning back into him so that we was spooning again. His arm shifted under my head, acting like a pillow, whilst the other trailed down my hip, resting on my lower stomach. I sighed at the touch of his lips against my neck, anticipating the bite.

As his fangs dug into me, I let out a slight yelp, though it quickly turned to a moan as the endorphins kicked in. His hand on my stomach went lower, reaching my most private part as his slipped his fingers into my folds, his hands trailing over the area, his thumb circling my clit in circles. I moan harder, bucking my hips, sliding towards his hand yet away from his body. I heard him growl, pulling me back against him hard so that his hardness was once again just bellow my butt. As his hands spread my legs, I felt him slip him fingers into me, pumping them slowly, curling slightly to hit that special spot.

I cried out in pleasure, feeling his cock grind against me rocking my hips against his hand. Shocks of pleasure ran though me, adding to the pleasure of his bite. My legs spread wider, invitingly, lost in the bliss of the experience. Suddenly his cock moved form the hold on my lower back and slipped between my spread legs, resting on my folds. I moaned louder, feeling the length of him against me. My mind was swimming, barley able to make reasonable thoughts. I knew I should stop that, but I just couldn't. It was all about the pleasure. Adrian groaned loudly against my neck, drawing me closer.

I felt him slip inside me, and I let out a shout of pleasure, rocking against him as he pushed hard against me, grinding his hips furiously. I whimpered, overcome buy the different pleasured sensations going on around me. Adrian was grunting against my neck, still drinking, and I knew he was going on longer than he should. I was starting to feel weak and dizzy. It was his hand now back against my lower stomach that thrusted me back against him, having no strength to do so myself. I could see black spots in my vision, and I knew I was going to black out any second.

Before I could slip into the darkness, however, Adrian suddenly tore his lips away from my neck and pulled out of me, pushing away from me slightly. I rolled forwards from the momentum of the push, my body too weak to respond. I whimpered from the absence of both his fangs and cock inside me.

"**I…Rose I'm sorry I got too carried away.. Are you okay?" **Adrian gently rolled me onto my back, holding me too him as he gazed into my eyes, though I found it difficult to focus on him, my mind a haze of left over pleasure and endorphins. Pulling me against him, he buried his face into my hair, and I closed my eyes gratefully. I used my remaining strength to snuggled against him, sighing at the comfort.

"**That was… just, wow… Sleep my little dhampir… you deserve some rest." **And once again I listened to him, and let the darkness of sleep carry me away.

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Authors Note:

D: D: there you go guys, a slight lemon for you (man I was blushing writing that haha :D ) Rose has been bad, using Adrian as a source of comfort form Dimitri rejection tut tut. Still, they shall have there moment! Also, I need to stop ending with her passing out :l bleeh.


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note:

Okay, so I'm back off my holiday :D Missed me? XD Got this chapter up now, sorry for the wait!

Thanks for all those who have faved my story (kat1995, MK111305, Nightshadow011,Roses' EVIL twin and sarahbelikovcullen) and for those who have put it on alert (Carlie28, Dancergirl16384, ilvjameslafferty, jadec0804, kat1995, Nightshadow011, Nycon23, Roses' EVIL twin and Vamp-girl-649) hope you guys like this and it doesn't disappoint! [:

Aaaaand, of course, thanks to you who have reviewed (Nightshadow011, SKDanielle16, Carlie28 and kat1995!) it means the world to see those reviews ^_^ Anywho, no more delay, here goes the next chapter, numero 4! Should have chapter five up soon (i get carried away when i start writing xD )

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

"_**I…Rose I'm sorry I got too carried away.. Are you okay?" **__Adrian gently rolled me onto my back, holding me too him as he gazed into my eyes, though I found it difficult to focus on him, my mind a haze of left over pleasure and endorphins. Pulling me against him, he buried his face into my hair, and I closed my eyes gratefully. I used my remaining strength to snuggled against him, sighing at the comfort._

"_**That was… just, wow… Sleep my little dhampir… you deserve some rest." **__And once again I listened to him, and let the darkness of sleep carry me away. _

_

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_

I awoke to the sound of giggling in the room outside my door. It was still dark, and I could feel the steady beat of Adrian's heartbeat against my back. Unthinkingly I smiled, sinking back into Adrian, closing my eyes and preparing to sleep just a little bit longer. As I nuzzled my head back a sudden sharp sting on my neck brought back the memories of the night before… and the fact that I was naked.

Sitting up suddenly I turned my head to look down at Adrian, noticing his own nakedness. No no… the memories were flooding through my mind, my hand raising to my neck instinctively and feeling the crustiness of the dried blood there. My heart beat began to increase as the sudden aches and soreness then began to hit me.

"**No no…" **My voice was just a whisper, and though my body began to protest loudly, I pulled myself out of the bed and began to gather my clothing up off the floor, my brain still fuzzy how they _all_ ended up off me. I pulled them on as fast as I could and headed out into the cabins living room, making sure my long dark hair was hanging over my neck as I did so.

Sat in the only one man sofa was Christian with Lissa curled up in his lap, both of them whispering lovingly in each others ears. I didn't need to use the bond to know what they were discussing, probably making up some more over their break-up. I ignored them, instead turning towards the kitchen where Eddie was leaning on the wall, his eyes darting around all the exits. He smiled at my briefly before his eyes returned back to the exits, making sure the two Moroi were protected. I rolled my eyes at his seriousness. No wonder he had been one of the best in the class.

"**Morning Eddie. When did you swap shifts?"** I tried to keep my voice as neutral as I could, as if his answer didn't really mean much too me, though my heart was thumping in my chest, waiting for the answer to what time Dimitri had gone to sleep… and also what time he would be waking.

"**About 6 hours ago. It's almost dawn, we will be heading off again as soon as Adrian's awake, though according to Lissa that could take more than a few hours…" **His eyes turned down in a frown. **"If he takes too long I'll have to wake him myself. This place gives me the creeps." **I nodded absently, the whole time with my back to him, pretending to be searching the cupboards.

I heaved myself up onto the counter, and turned towards the two lovebirds on the sofa, aware now that they were both watching me intently and whispering to one another. I saw Lissa nod and Christian smile in return, turning his attention to the television. I scowled, and Lissa smiled, sheepishly.

'_Sorry… just worried about you…' _I rolled my eyes, knowing she would get the meaning behind it. I saw her smile widen before her lips puckered worriedly. _'You feeling okay?' _I flashed her a smile and stretched widely on the counter, showing her how well I felt, ignoring the aches in my body and the throbbing in my head. Blood loss was really a bit- _'Good, because I've been so worried… I made up with Christian by the way…'_

I had my gaze fixed on the wall now, pretending to be daydreaming, but I let my head dip slightly as a nod, letting her knew I already knew this. _'I wasn't sure it would work out, but I love him so much…'_ Suddenly her mind was filled with thoughts of what they had been doing last night and I couldn't help but shudder, shooting her a exasperated look. She smiled apologetically at me before turning her full attention to Christian, who could sense she was distracted and was trying to pull her attention back to himself by snuggling into her neck. Instead, I turned my attention back to Eddie who was still keeping his eyes on just about everything in the room.

"**So… Eddie, what's the plan for getting to the airport."** Again I wasn't really bothered about the answer. With me, Eddie and Dimitri, Strigoi didn't really stand a chance. Still, I hated silence and this morning it seemed even more irritating than it normally did.

"**Well, we were actually just planning on travelling through the day. If we take the highways at an average of 80 we will make it there just before sunset, which will help us avoid any attacks. Still…" **I had never seen Eddie look so uncomfortable. He shifted from side and his eyes turned to me uneasily.

"**It's just that storms left behind some pretty wicked looking clouds. Doubtful we'll be seeing much of the sun and it makes me worried. This place is hardly a great strategic advantage to us. I'd rather get the royals out of here as fast as I can to be honest." **

I nodded along with him, my thoughts now in the same direction. I knew what they had done had been foolish, especially with the amount of Strigoi attacks that had been going on lately, and the fact that they were all aimed at Royals, and we had three here with us currently, one of which was the last of her kind…

My mind was racing at the same rate as my heartbeat. My eyes too began to dart around the room suspiciously, noticing all the different factors that were against us. With a sigh, I hopped down from the counter and made my way towards mine and Adrian's room.

"**I'll wake Adrian. You're right, we could do with setting off now…" **I saw the look of relief on Eddie's face as I passed him and I smiled. He nodded then seemed to remember something.

"**Oh, I'll go wake up Belikov…" **He began to walk in the opposite direction to the room next to Adrian's. As soon as I stepped into Adrian's room however, my smile had vanished, replaced by my grimace. I stepped up to the edge of the bed and took a deep breath before adjusting my expression to one of mock annoyance as I began to shake the sleeping form of Adrian vigorously. He moaned deeply, rolling over to give me a dirty look.

"**10 more minuets? Seriously Rose, I'm still tired…" **He began to roll back over again but I grabbed him before he could, pulling him to instead of rolling back over to sleep he rolled right out of the bed with a thud. He turned his bewildered expression to me, his eyes suddenly wide.

"**OWCH! What was that for Rose?" **I took in his shocked expression, his posture on the floor half sprawled out and suddenly the whole situation seemed absolutely hilarious. I burst into fit of giggled which seemed to attract the attention of Lissa, who began demanding answers to me through our bond which I ignored. Suddenly, I felt fingers gripping my legs and I felt myself falling vertically as I was suddenly facing the floor. With a thud, I landed on the wooden floor, which suddenly made me laugh even more.

"**Offt! Adrian!" **It was then his turn to laugh, which he did heartedly. I aimed a kick in his direction, which he dodged still laughing. I leaned back on the floor, gasping for breath.

"**Cant… breathe…" **I was gasping for breathe when I had stopped laughing, feeling the come down of my high**. **I smiled up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling relieved. At least it hadn't been awkward between me and Adrian like I thought it would. Somebody cleared their throat awkwardly behind them, and I turned my head to see Christian stood in the doorway, his expression making it clear he didn't want to interrupt us.

"**Uhm, Eddie sent me to make sure you was up Adrian. Everyone's ready to go…" **He cleared his throat again before suddenly grinning.

"**Did Adrian floor you Rose? Damn…"** He began chuckling to himself as he left the room and I sighed. He would never let me live this down, I just knew it. Pulling myself up, I smoothed out my clothing before turning to face Adrian, who was now stood up as well, smoothing out his own clothing. I smiled as he caught me looking at him, and he smiled in return.

"**Ready to go?" **He nodded, and I turned and walked out of the room, trying to hide my embarrassment. It was obvious Christian had told Lissa and her eyes were locked on me now, trying to get me to listen to her questions she was firing at me through the link. I ignored them, instead making my way over to Eddie, who was stood waiting by the door.

"**What we waiting for?" **Eddie nodded his head towards the closed door.

"**Belikov's just bringing the car closer to the door and making sure the coast is clear. It's still really dark out though the sun was supposed to have risen 3 hours ago…" **I nodded, feeling my heart accelerate just at the mention of Dimitri. Suddenly the front door flew open, both me and Eddie jumping back and taking a defensive stance. But it was just Dimitri, accompanied by a blast of icy cold air.

He motioned for all of us to follow him, and set back outside leading the way, followed closely by Christian holding Lissa's hand. I decided to place myself in the middle and set off straight after Lissa keeping close to her back, Adrian right behind me and Eddie bringing up the rear. My eyes were alert, glancing everywhere I could in the semi darkness, the clouds above still dark but with a faint trace of light. I felt uneasy. The car was just ahead, just a few meters.

We had just made it to the car when I was hit by the sudden wave of nausea, which I knew by now could only mean one thing. Swearing under my breath I began shoving Lissa as hard as I could in the open door. Dimitri was already behind the wheel, his eyes wide as he watched something going on behind me. Once Lissa and Christian were safe I began shoving Adrian in the two back seats we were in earlier, ignoring him pulling at my shirt to join me. I slammed the door shut, ignoring his protests. There was no time.

"**GO GO GO!" **It was Eddie's voice behind me. I turned to see him engaged with two Strigoi, his silver stake flashing in his hands as he fought them off. I turned to tap the drivers window, nodding to Dimitri to go. He gave me one last, lingering look, before he nodded back, throwing me his stake out of the window he rolled down, leaning out to whisper to me.

"**Return back to me Roza…" **I managed a nod, my heart suddenly feeling heavy. Everything was happening too fast. He hit accelerate and he was suddenly speeding down the dusty road, away from us and to safety. I didn't look at the retreating car for long, and instead turned my attention to the two Strigoi Eddie was battling.

Jumping into the combat, I managed to stake one by sheer surprise, whilst the other landed a solid kick to my side, knocking me back. But I didn't stay down long. With Eddie's help, we managed to back the creature into the side of the building, and with more tricky moved and turns we at last managed to stake the last one.

Still on high alert, we both stood pressed against the side of the building, searching the trees around us. The sick feeling in my stomach had gone, and I knew we was safe. Eddie was breathing pretty heavy, and I knew my own breathing sounded no better. We was lucky this time. It had been close. I rested my hand on Eddie's shoulder, a sign of companionship. We had done well together, me and him, not just this time but many times before. We were allies in this field.

His own hand came down on my shoulder and he flashed me a grin, which I returned with a shaky laugh. No matter how much training or experience I had, fighting Strigoi still scared the crap out of me, and I was sure Eddie felt the same. We both sank to the floor, catching our breaths. It was a while before any of us spoke, and once again it was me who broke the silence.

"**So what now? We walk to the airport?" **My voice was sarcastic, but I knew it was probably our only option right now. I heard Eddie sigh next to me, raising to his feet, holding his hand out to me as he did so. Such a gentleman.

"**It's our only option right now. Don't forget pretty much every guardian is on the look out for you right now. Our rescue mission seems to have taken a turn for the worse…"** He sighed again and rolled his eyes, before turning to face me.

"**How do you feel about walking in dark forests?" **He grinned as he said it, though I knew he was being serious. I shot a look towards the dark trees and put on my mock excitement face and voice.

"**Dark forests? Only my favourite way of travelling!" **I rolled my eyes, then sighed myself, flexing my fingers as I did. I had been holding the stake in a death grip. Slipping It into my boots I shot a look at the dark forest, then towards the sky. It didn't look like the sun would be blessing us with it's presence anytime soon. With a huff, I set out towards the trees.

"**Come on, might as well get going. It's not getting any lighter…" **My tone had returned to it's normal bitterly sarcastic ways, and Eddie chuckled to himself, returning his own stake to inside his jacket, keeping step with me easily.

It was a _long_ way to the nearest airport.

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Authors Note:

Not much romance-y happening here, though maybe in the next chapter? :O Anyway, not every chapter will contain romance, since I want this to carry on sort of like the book, so still lots of action and what not (: But I will have romance, since I do love it most when I read it in the book ^_^ R+D 3


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note:

Hehe, I feel like an updating machine xD But I'm rather bored atm, and there's only so many facebook games you go play before boredom truly sets in :P So, thought I'd update again ^_^ I actually lost this chapter twice, once when my laptop died and word decided to only recover the first paragraph of about 20, then again when word crashed… and did the same -_- so this is like my third attempt at this chapter xD patience hopefully paid off.

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

_"**Dark forests? Only my favourite way of travelling!" **I rolled my eyes, then sighed myself, flexing my fingers as I did. I had been holding the stake in a death grip. Slipping It into my boots I shot a look at the dark forest, then towards the sky. It didn't look like the sun would be blessing us with it's presence anytime soon. With a huff, I set out towards the trees._

_"**Come on, might as well get going. It's not getting any lighter…" **My tone had returned to it's normal bitterly sarcastic ways, and Eddie chuckled to himself, returning his own stake to inside his jacket, keeping step with me easily. _

_It was a long way to the nearest airport. _

_

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_

Boy, was it a long way. By Eddie's watch, we had been walking in this forest for 4 hours now, and still had seen no sign of life, at all. The woods themselves seemed to be getting deeper, if the sudden proximity of the trees was anything to go by (and according to Eddie, it was. Apparently, the further apart the trees the deeper the wood or something…). Whatever. I was bored, achy, and more than anything else, I was starving. The cookies the night before had been nothing. What I would do for a double cheeseburger…

"**Are we there yeeeet?" **I saw the corner of Eddie's mouth pull up in a grin and I smiled myself before sighing. **"We have been walking miles now. I'm surprised this forest is even this wide! Seriously, you'd have thought we'd have hit a highway by now, or I don't know… a field? Anything other than these **_**trees**_**…" **

Eddie swerved off his straight ahead path to kick a smallish rock a little away from him, sending it flying into the bushes around us. I watched it with interest. It had been the most interesting thing to happen since the Strigoi attack…

"**No clue. To be honest, I thought that we'd have reached the nearest town by now, but I'm not sure… without the sun it's hard to even know if we've been heading forwards. We might just be walking in circles…"** I heard him sigh, before suddenly stopping walking. I stopped myself, turning to face him, my eyebrows rose at his words.

"**Circles? Your kidding me right?" **Eddie shook his head, before suddenly grinning, though it was without humour.

"**Thought the woods were just your favourite?" **He asked me, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes before walking over to a fallen tree I had seen through the bushes. Plonking myself down on the rough bark, I glared around me at the offending trees. Forests were definitely not my favourite. In fact, right now, I hated nature.

"**Ugh. What's with the sun today, seriously?" **I grumbled to myself, my foul mood getting the better of me as I began to glare down at the ground. I didn't look up as Eddie came over to my side, placing himself down on the tree trunk next to me, his shoulder knocking against me.

Normally, if a guy got this close to me, I'd have assumed he was coming onto me. But I could never think that about Eddie. He was like my big brother, and not forgetting the whole Mason thing. They had been best friends, and I knew that even if Eddie _did_ like me, he would never betray his best friends memory. But that's what I liked about Eddie. I could be myself, and not have to keep up the charming girl act.

"Where are the others?" I looked up at his words, turning to glance at him slightly. His eyes were scanning the forest, as if he haven't spent the whole walk doing that anyway. I let myself zone out, instead slipping into Lissa's mind. I spoke to Eddie while still in her mind, my voice coming out slightly monotone and distant.

"**They are still driving. It's dark, and the streetlights are on. Thought they'd have been there by now…" **I frowned, then began to concentrate further more on her thoughts, but that didn't help much. Lissa was currently thinking exactly as I was. Where was they going? How much further? But she dared not ask Dimitri any of this. It was clear to the three of them that he was in a pretty foul mood. Instead the car was deadly silent, the only sound coming from the whoosh as a car passed them.

I pulled myself back to my own mind and turned to look at Eddie, who had been watching me intently. I rolled my eyes then smiled, trying to break the suddenly tense mood. But Eddie didn't smile back.

"**If they're still driving, that meant that something happened at the airport… that or Dimitri had a reason not to take them there." **He frowned, staring off into the trees again. **"It was only an hour or so drive away from the cabin. What is Belikov thinking…" **

"**No clue. But I do know what we should be thinking about, and that's getting out of this forest. It's giving me the creeps…" **As if to prove my point an owl hooted somewhere from above us, the sound low and eerie. Eddie laughed, then nodded, raising to his feet fluently and offered me his hand. I stood up, and dusted my behind down, removing the little splinters of bark. Eddie looked around for a while, probably trying to work out what direction to head in. I pretended to be doing the same, though I honestly had no clue at all. I had even forgotten what direction we had been heading in… I was useless.

"**We should probably head west. That's the direction of the highway, though to be honest I'd rather keep away from places where you could be recognised…" **He nodded his head, as if making his mind. **"West it is. We'll just stick to the shadow of the trees and follow the highway along to the airport. Sound good?" **I had no idea what direction West was right now… there was no sun to tell…

"**Sounds good." **He smiled briefly, before suddenly setting off to his left and walking confidently. I followed, feeling like a complete idiot. Oh well, at least one of us knew what they were doing. Instead, I turned by mind into Lissa's and waited for somebody to man up and demand where they were going.

It took us another 3 and a bit hours to reach the highway. I had no idea how Eddie did it, but he did. That boy was truly a genius. I high-five him as it came into view, and got a big grin in return. He had every right to gloat right now, he was brilliant! We stuck to the plan and never left the protective shade of the forest, making us invisible to the cars on the highway, but still able to follow it easily enough. We noticed a sign for the airport, and began to quicken our steps, getting excited.

I knew form the bond that they had finally stopped at some fast food place a while ago to eat, but other than that had made no stops. They were still there now, though Lissa had no idea where 'there' actually was. The little diner was by the side of the highway, and though we knew that couldn't have been at the airport, we hoped they were close by. It was times like this that I really wished that Lissa had paid attention to the road signs and not Christian…

Still, reaching the airport was a sign, at least. We knew it's where they had been heading, so hopefully they would come back. But as we got closer, it was obvious why they had turned away.

"**Damn…" **I muttered under my breath, watching from the trees at the other side of the highway the turnoff to the airport, where a parked car waited, lights off. But I wasn't stupid. It was obvious the car was filled with Dhampirs, guardians just waiting for us to slip up and go there. I could see the clogs in Eddie's mind turning as he watched the car, eight lanes away from us right at the other side. At least they couldn't see us…

"**What now?" **I whispered, though really there was no need, not with the noisy sounds of the passing cars. There was no way they could actually hear us, but I was still feeling cautious, and slightly defeated. It was like everything was against us reaching my father.

"**I really don't know." **He frowned, his eyes scanning the rest of the airport. **"There's at least four in that car… and I can see more parked in the car park. Court cars… it's obvious they've been sent for us. Well, you… Still, it's clear now why Belikov didn't come here. He must be thinking up a new plan." **He shook his head, turning his attention away from the airport to turn to me.

"**Any clue where they are?" **I shook my head before he had finished, already knowing what he was going to ask. He'd been asking since I'd seen them heading there.

"**No idea. Like I said, it's just some random diner by the side of the highway. But we know he carried on up the highway for a while…" **I frowned, working it out in my head. Ugh, who knew maths would have come in handy? **"And we know they've only just really got there. Which means it took them like what? 3 hours to get there from here? Maybe more… that's a long walk." **An overwhelming feeling of failure washed over me. It would be impossible to reach them in time, they would probably be leaving soon, anyway. I slumped down against the large boulder we had been peering over, ignoring the moistness of the ground. Ugh, damp.

Eddie sat down against it next to me, his own face thoughtful. I didn't see the point. It was obvious we needed a new plan, a new way to reach an airport, or find a way to contact them, a new way to travel… That's when it hit me. It was so obvious! Idly I wondered why Eddie hadn't thought of it.

"**We need a car!" **I turned to him excitedly, bouncing up so I was sitting on my knees now facing him. Eddie had turned to me in alarm, suddenly alert from my sudden burst of energy. It was true I had been a complete bust all today, but now the plans were coming to me.

"**We'll sneak past them…" **I jerked my finger towards the guardians. **"Go to the airport, steal a car, and sneak past them. Then we'll hunt down the diner! If we cant find it, we can just head to the next airport! Or… we could just park somewhere quiet and wait for them to head somewhere and follow! It's genius…"** I knew my whole face had lit up and I had a stupid grin spread across my face. My plan was so simple, so easily done, so why was Eddie shaking his head at me? I frowned at him, suddenly feeling miffed.

"**What? You don't think we can do it? Eddie, we broke into Tarasov prison for Christ's sake! This will be a piece of cake!" **But Eddie was still shaking his head. I felt myself shaking of anger of having my first plan of the day shot down. I gritted my teeth, waiting for him to explain.

"**Rose… we cant risk getting caught by them. All they have to do is see us and call for backup and we'd have a whole bunch of them following us. It's too risky. Anyway, I'd rather not attempt another airport, not after what we've seen down there. That's a pretty small airport you know, so just imagine what the main ones will be like. Our only option is to avoid them, and that means breaking the promise to meet your father. It's just too risky." **When he had finally finished his speech, I knew my expression was calmer. He was right, but my usual argumentative ways refused to let him have the final say…

"**Right, so airports are out of the question, but that doesn't mean we don't need a car. You cant seriously expect Dimitri to wait at that diner long enough for us to walk there? Seriously, it took them like 3 hours of driving to get to it, the amount of time it took us to walk from halfway through a forest to here. So that's what? Double time for us to get there on foot now? We. Need. A. Car. So maybe we cant rob those cars…" **I indicated to the airport behind me.

"**But we're on a highway for Christ's sake! We'll find a off-road and rob one from there, piece of cake, then drive to the diner then find another mode of transport to wherever my father had in mind going. Shockingly, there's more ways to travel than plane…" **I knew he knew I was right, and I loved knowing he knew I knew I was right, because I was. My plan made more sense, and he knew it. We stared at each other for a while, before Eddie finally broke the silence.

"**Fine. We find an off road, steal a car and try find the diner. I'm not saying they'll be there, I'm just saying I doubt Belikov will leave us clueless, or Lissa for that matter. Come on, might as well find an off road now, not getting any lighter… in fact…" **Eddie studied his watch, his eyebrows raising.

"**The suns probably setting round about now, and I don't know about you, but I don't fancy being in these woods at night… at least before we had sort of sun protection…" **I nodded with what he was saying, eyeing the darkness of the forest myself. It certainly had gotten darker, making it clear the 'dark woods' we had been in before had been tame compared to this level of darkness coming for us. I'd hate to think what was lurking in the shadows…

We both set out looking for a side road, and though I tried to pay attention to where we was going, I couldn't help but let my mind wander over into Lissa's head. She was currently sat snuggled up against Christian's shoulder as Adrian stared wistfully out of the windows. Dimitri sat staring out of the same windows, his uneaten lunch in front of him. Idly, Lissa picked at her chips, and instantly I could feel that this wasn't the food she was craving. She was thirsty.

I watched them for a bit, feeling awkward myself at the silence. Only Lissa, Adrian and Christian spoke, and even then it was pointless topics, or even just discussing what they thought was happening with the council and electing a new queen. Nothing really that held my fancy, though I knew I was only watching through her head to be able to see Dimitri. It felt like I hadn't seen him in ages, and just seeing him sat there, staring broodingly out of the windows was making my heart flutter.

I slipped back out of her mind by Eddie tapping me on the shoulder. It seemed we were off the highway, though I couldn't consciously remember taking a side path. We were walking down a pitch black road that lead up onto the highway, though was pretty much deserted except for two growing orbs of light in the far distance. A car, at last.

I nodded to Eddie, and I nodded grimly at me back. I knew he was against this idea of stealing somebody's car, but it was obvious we needed it more than they did… or so I kept telling myself, trying to make it seem right in my own mind. I sagged against Eddie and he instantly put his hand around me, making his eyes wide with worry as I shut my own, acting out the role of the ill sister… or girlfriend, whatever he decided to play out.

I could hear the car approaching, see the hard red burn my closed eyelids as the car got closer, then began to slow down. The whir of the automatic window pulling down alerted me that our plan had worked, and I prepared myself to strike it need be. I hadn't seen how many was in the car.

"**Oh, thank you so much for pulling over! I didn't know what else to do, I'm so scared…" **Eddie had made his voice whiney and slightly frantic, and I tried to suppress a grin.

"**Jeez, she doesn't look so good. What happened?" **The voice was distinctly male, and pretty young sounding. Probably early 20's or something.

"**Our car broke down and I've been looking for somebody to help when my sister just suddenly fainted!" **Sister. The guy was probably hot or something, or checking me out. Either way, I heard the sound of the car door open, so whoever it was was either a very kind and a concerned citizen or a hormonal guy looking to play hero.

"**Aw man, how old is she? Looks at least 18, sure she's your sister? You don't look alike... Ah she must be cold, quick I'll help you put her in my car, did she hit her head or somethi-"** I felt Eddie's hands leave me just as the voice cut off and a loud thud sounded. I opened my eyes to seethe guy spread on the floor. Definitely hormonal. He looked to be in his early 20's wearing what looked like stereotypical gangster clothing. What was this guy? A wannabe? I glanced towards his car warily, expecting to see something totally embarrassing, but instead saw a regular Ford Focus. Dark green… it would do.

Eddie was already pulling the guy off to the side of the road and propping him up against a tree whilst I made sure cars were coming. Once the guy had been safely moved, Eddie rushed round to the drivers side of the car, and I climbed into the passenger seat willingly. It was hard to drive and step into Lissa's mind without causing an accident… As soon as my car door was shut Eddie put his foot down and we quickly made it onto the highway.

"**They still at the café?" **I nodded my head, then realised he was driving and couldn't see the gesture.

"**Yeah, looks like they're waiting for us, or at least, I think they are. Hard to tell when Dimitri wont speak to them…" **I was already looking at him so I caught Eddie's nod of his head. He began to speed up a little, and I settled back into the seat more comfortably, getting ready for the long ride to Dimitri.

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Authors Note:

Will they meet them? Maybe…maybe not :O :O Not much actiony in this bit, will pick up next chapter, I promise (: might have that up tomorrow! Bed for me now. Anyways, hope you liked it!


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Note:

Hmm thought I'd update before I left to go to the cinema… toy story 3 in 3D woo :D Wont be back until late tonight, when I'll update… again ( :O ) so might as well get one in now… I'm sorta bored and already had most of this written last night anyway xD Couldn't sleep.. So! Hope you enjoy [:

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

…

_As soon as my car door was shut Eddie put his foot down and we quickly made it onto the highway._

"_**They still at the café?" **__I nodded my head, then realised he was driving and couldn't see the gesture. _

"_**Yeah, looks like they're waiting for us, or at least, I think they are. Hard to tell when Dimitri wont speak to them…" **__I was already looking at him so I caught Eddie's nod of his head. He began to speed up a little, and I settled back into the seat more comfortably, getting ready for the long ride to Dimitri._

_

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_

The whole drive was incredibly boring. I never bothered to turn the radio on, not in any mood for music, and it seemed Eddie felt the same. Instead, we sat in silence, listening to the passing of cars, the occasional honk of a car horn and sighs, which each of us did regularly to whatever thoughts were running through our minds.

For me, it was whenever I was in Lissa's. So far they had been at the diner for hours, and though Dimitri keopt ordering food so they could stay, it was obvious they were all bored and just wanted to do something. Through the bond I could feel Lissa's irritation as well as drowsiness, though she dared not sleep until they found me again. She was too worried. Her own thoughts kept turning to the Strigoi attack, and she was frantically trying to assure herself that both me and Eddie had made it out okay - though none of these thoughts she voiced.

Christian had sat silently, just playing with her hair and occasionally discussing random things. Dmitri seemed the one most at ease as he sat simply staring out of the windows. Lissa thought that he was just making sure no Strigoi attacked, though I had my own suspicions… and hopes. He was waiting for me. I knew It was stupid to assume, especially how things had been going between us, but I still hoped he cared, that he still wanted me.

Adrian, it seemed, was taking the waiting the hardest, especially with the lack of alcohol available. Lissa suspected his madness was coming on strong, though he was showing no signs. Looking at Adrian through Lissa's mind brought back my own memories that were shockingly fresh of our night, and I was glad it was dark on the highway. I knew I was blushing furiously.

I don't know why I had done that. That night with Adrian, I had been filled with such rejection from Dimitri that I knew what I had done with Adrian hadn't been for the right reasons, and not forgetting we had done it unprotected. Suddenly I was aware of how much sweat had formed on my palms and how hot it was in the car. My whole body trembled. Before I could think it over more though, Eddie was suddenly calling my name.

"**Rose! Earth to Rose?…. Is that the place?" **He pointed to a diner that was on top of a hill down a service station road. I recognised the fluorescent lightning's and signs immediately. I nodded furiously, aware that his eyes were on me. He took a swift right up the ramp and up to the café, parking at the back before turning the engine off. We sat in the darkness for a while, neither one of us saying a word. Eddie was searching the car park and the edge of the trees around us while I tried to sort my nerves out, as well as my thoughts. There was no time to worry about that…

"**Seems the coast is clear. Ready to go in?" **Eddie was looking at me concerned, which made me panic even more. Was my expression really that bad? I tried to make it as expressionless as I could, which was actually pretty easy. I suddenly was feeling incredibly numb…

"**Let's go." **I voice was calm, and I could see Eddie trying to work out what was up with me. I stepped out into a chilly night air, my eyes scanning the path to the diner. I could see the people carrier Dimitri had driven which set my heart pounding. We walked side by side to the diner, feeling restless. I was suddenly eager to see Lissa.

As we pushed the double doors open, my eyes were instantly scanning the room for Lissa, who I saw at the back in a large booth seat with Dimitri, Christian and, unfortunately Adrian. My palms were suddenly feeling sweaty again.

"**ROSE!" **Lissa's voice echoed through the room as well as my mind as she also thought my name. I tried to force a smile on my face, though I knew it probably looked fake. Lissa was running towards me, the others now standing. Adrian's eyes were wide with relief, though I tried not to look his way. I caught Lissa as she threw herself at me, squeezing her slightly as I hugged her. She was sobbing with relief, always the worrier. I shushed her, almost like a mother. Eddie had carried on walking towards the others and was now greeting Dimitri and Christian.

I released Lissa, though she kept close by my side still sobbing softly. We both walked to the others still stood at their table. Dimitri and Eddie were discussing the Guardian sighting and seemed to be discussing other options. Christian had wrapped Lissa in his arms, now looking at me worriedly. Again, I wondered what my expression was like. I turned to smile at him, which he returned hesitantly. Plonking myself down on the booth chair, I sighed. Lissa joined me, now grinning.

"**Knowing you you must be hungry, want me to order you a double cheeseburger?" **Before she had even finished the sentence I was practically salivating. I nodded eagerly and she grinned, getting up to head to the counter. Christian followed her eagerly, and I wondered idly if he ever planned to leave her alone again. Eddie and Dimitri had sat down now still discussing the pros and cons of Ferry travel. That left me and Adrian. I turned my head towards Dimitri and Eddie, trying to look as though I was engrossed in their conversation, though really I was trying to avoid making eye contact with Adrian.

"**Well, we have a car now too. Yeah, I know, Rose's idea, she didn't want to walk…" **Eddie rolled his eyes in my direction and I couldn't help but grin. I saw Dimitri's eyes flicker to mine, filled with amusement.

"**That I can guess. This is how we will do this then. Me, Ozera and Vasilissa will take your car, whilst you and Rose escort Ozera and Ivashkov…" **Before Dimitri had even finished his speech I was shaking my head, the movement of which had caught Eddie's attention. He was looking at me in amusement.

"**No no… that's a stupid idea! Lissa is the last of her line! If anything she needs two of us protecting her! If anything it should be Christian and Adrian in one car, with one guardian, and Lissa is my car, with Eddie or something." **Eddie looked thoughtful at this, his eyes flicking to Dimitri for a second opinion. Dimitri shook his head as I did, though before he could speak I began again with more urgency

"**Look, we both know Christian can hold his own against any attacks! He doesn't need two Guardians and Lissa does. I'm not being apart from her." **I kept my expression calm, though inside I was frantic, desperate to make sure I wasn't in a car with Adrian. I could see him staring at me across the table with a shocked expression, his mouth hanging open.

Dimitri just stared me down, probably trying to work out my motives. I stared back at him calmly, mimicking his usual calm guardian face. He sighed, dropping his gaze as Lissa approached, placing the tray with the double cheeseburger, fries and large coke in front of me. I smiled up at her. Christian passed a similar tray to Eddie, who took it with surprise, probably not expecting anything.

"**Fine. Rose, me and you will escort the princess in your car. Eddie, you will escort Ozera and Ivashkov." **I nodded eagerly whilst Lissa glanced back at Christian sadly. I could feel through her bond she was disappointed at having been separated from him but I was ecstatic at the thought of not sitting with Adrian, though I knew deep down it was cruel to be avoiding him like I was. He was currently staring at me across the table sadly, probably working out I was avoiding him. I picked at my fries, feigning disinterest, though really my stomach was clenched with guilt.

After both me and Eddie had eaten, we decided to set off to the nearest port, which was a four day drive away. We had decided to stick to main roads if possible. As we all split off for out separate cars, Lissa and Christian held back to say their goodbyes. Eddie and Adrian just walked to the car. I lead the way to our stolen one, Dimitri following me silently. As I reached for the drivers seat, Dimitri was suddenly by my side shaking his head.

"**I'll take the first driving shift. You get some sleep with the princess. Your probably tired from walking." **I just nodded, instead making my way to the passengers side. I was pretty side, and in no real mood to be staring at the road for the next couple of hours. Dimitri was already in the car when I climbed in, eyeing the rear view mirror at Christian and Lissa, probably wishing they'd hurry up. I felt the same. I could feel Adrian's eyes boring into me from their car parked a little way away. I avoiding looking over, instead fixing my eyes instead on the edge of the trees to the woods as if I was scanning for some threat.

When Lissa finally climbed into the car, she was silent, probably upset at leaving Christian. I didn't need the bond to confirm it really. Once the click of the seatbelt sounded in the car, Dimitri started the engine, backing back onto the highway smoothly with Eddie following us. I could see the glare of their headlights in the side mirror.

I settled back into the seat, preparing for the long journey though I was suddenly feeling wide awake. After we had hit the highway the time went by smoothly, my mind daydreaming at the darkness of the trees at the side of my window. Lissa had fallen asleep fairly quickly after we had set off and I was grateful for it. She had been bombarding me with questions about what had happened with me and Adrian in the diner. It seemed I haven't made my awkwardness discreet enough.

I sighed into the darkness, slumping further down in my seat. Dimitri looked at me questioningly but I ignored him, pretending to be deep in thought. Which I was, sort of… I shut my eyes, finally succumbing to the weariness I had been feeling earlier. The steady sound of the running engine and Lissa's own deep breathing lulled me off to sleep.

"**Ugh." **I groaned, aware that this dream wasn't natural, which meant only one thing. Adrian. I was stood on a beach, the soft grains of sand running through my bare feet. The sound of the sea was the only sound apart from my own breathing. I looked down and was happy to see I was at least wearing something decent - a red summer dress. My hair was loose around my shoulders, and my wrists were sporting various flowery bracelets.

A cough behind me had me almost falling over the soft sand, aware that I wasn't alone. Standing a little away from me was Adrian, wearing a similar pair of shorts and a shirt in the same red as me. He wasn't smiling, like he usually was. Instead he was staring at me calmly, almost sadly. I swallowed, nervously.

"**Not that I don't appreciate the sweet dress and a holiday, but I was sorta hoping to get some rest tonight…" **I knew I sounded as lame as the excuse, but I really wasn't in the mood for this. If anything, I was trying to keep my temper in check, something which normally I wouldn't mind letting lose on him.

"**Rose… why have you been avoiding me? Is it about last night?" **My eyes widened at the mention of last night, and instantly he knew it was. **"Look, I'm so sorry about what happened, I know it was completely my fault. Cant we just, I don't know, pretend it never happened? I cant stand you avoiding me, especially not now."** My heart was thumping, my breath caught. I could feel my heart aching at the sadness in his voice. It really wasn't fair what I was doing.

"**I agree. Let's just forget it." **I smiled at him, trying to put as much warmth in it as I could. He smiled back, reaching his hands out towards me, which I took willingly, letting him pull me towards him. We held each other silently for a bit, just listening to the soft lapping of the waves. Calmness suddenly swept throughout me as the awkwardness left. He was right. Now wasn't the time for avoiding one another.

"**Adrian, I really do need rest though…" **I mumbled against his chest, and I felt him sigh, pulling me away from him slightly so he could look at me properly. I tried to keep the blush off my cheeks as his eyes raked over me. Suddenly he crushed me into him again as he sighed.

"**You really are so beautiful Rose… But your right, you do need your res, so sleep well my little Dhampir." **I nodded against his chest, feeling the darkness flooding over me of deep sleep. The rest of the night I dreamt of normal thing.

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Authors Note:

Tehe. Hope this okay for when I get back and write about Rose x Dimitri alone time :O :O oooohh! The suspense xD Anyway, hope you enjoyed it [:


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note:

Ugh, sorry I didn't reply when I got back, ended up back later than I thought and had to go to bed since I was up early this morning and down at the coast :D Toy Story 3 was awesome! If you haven't seen it, you totally should [: Anywhoooo, here's the next chapter like promised! Hope you enjoy!

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

"_**Adrian, I really do need rest though…" **__I mumbled against his chest, and I felt him sigh, pulling me away from him slightly so he could look at me properly. I tried to keep the blush off my cheeks as his eyes raked over me. Suddenly he crushed me into him again as he sighed._

"_**You really are so beautiful Rose… But your right, you do need your res, so sleep well my little Dhampir." **__I nodded against his chest, feeling the darkness flooding over me of deep sleep. The rest of the night I dreamt of normal things._

_

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_

When I woke up after my sleep the first thing I was aware of was that we were still on the highway. I turned my head to see Lissa sprawled across the seats, her mouth twitching every now and then to some dream she was probably having involving a certain firing element Moroi… I smiled at her, suddenly feeling a rush of affection for my closest and oldest friend. We had been through so much together…

"**I see your up." **I flinched at the sudden voice even though he was speaking in a whisper. Reluctantly, I turned to face my old mentor, Dimitri who's own eyes never left the road, his hands clutching the steering wheel tightly. I scowled, turning my own attention to the road before me. I was definitely feeling pissy. Having fast talked my way into being away from Adrian I had placed myself with Dimitri, another groupie on this journey who I could have done with ignoring. Now I wished I had just stuck it out with Adrian…

"**Yeah. Didn't want to miss any of this thrilling action you know?" **My sarcasm had come back and good and strong since I had woken up. I felt as though I had been having an off day all the rest of today, not giving as many smart ass come backs as I knew I should. I had some making up to do.

"**Well, we're nearing the end of the highway and will be heading through the countryside. Think that will be thrilling enough for you?" **I smirked, aware that he was playing at me at my own game. Damn him.

"**Yeah. You probably haven't heard, but I just love dark forests. It's sort of my thing, just ask Eddie." **I still kept my roads in front of me, watching the other couple of cars in front of us idly crossing over to different lanes now and then whilst Dimitri stuck to the inside one.

"**Is that so…" **His voice trailed off, and once again silence filled the car. I wondered idly if I should make some smart ass comment about the radio, demanding to know why he wasn't playing lame 80's music, just to hear his voice again. It was the closest we had come to speaking like old times that I was desperate to keep it going, keep him talking. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I worked on trying to swallow the lump that seemed to have formed in my throat.

_What was wrong with me? _

I was falling to pieces just after a couple of exchanged sentences. I knew that it was stupid to be feeling this way, especially over a guy. I wasn't that girl who needed a guy. I was Rose Hathaway. If anything, guys needed me. I was mentally giving myself this prep talk when he suddenly cleared his throat, erasing any progress that I had just been making trying to boost my own moral up.

"**There's the turnoff." **He nodded up ahead to the farthest lane, which showed it splitting off with the right side going off into darkness - no streetlamps.

"**Cant wait." **Well, at least I still had my comebacks. I watched idly as he maneuvered his way across the lanes until he reached that road, turning off into the darkness. The soft orange glow of the streetlamps was left behind us as we were suddenly plunged into the darkness apart from the glow of Eddie's cars beams behind us. I ignored the other car, suddenly wishing it wasn't there and that I was alone on this dark lane with just Dimitri. Once again my heart rate began to pick up as I remembered last time we had been alone in a dark place… the dark log cabin.

'_Snap out of it…' _I shook my head, trying to clear away the thoughts and slapped my cheek a couple of times, trying to ignore the strange looks he was giving me. Just as I opened my mouth to give him some lame excuse I had thought up about shaking away the tiredness, another set of headlights blared up from right at the side of us - my side to be exact, heading towards our car at some speed.

"WATCH O-" The breath was knocked from my lungs as the car suddenly collided with us. Everything moved in a blur of motion as I felt myself thrown around in my seat like a rag doll, desperately trying to make sense of everything that was going on. Glass rained down seemingly from all angles constantly, the sound of metal scraping and groaning filling my ears along with my own screams.

When the movement finally ceased, I was aware that my body was tilting towards Dimitri, before understanding washed over me. The car had flipped, and I was at the top. My whole body was strained across the gear stick, my hair a dark mess around my head, glass stuck to my clothing and hair. Groaning, I looked down to see Dimitri layed across his door, the window of it cracked under his weight. I reached out to wake him when another sound of mental protesting caught my attention from behind me.

I turned my head the other direction with effort, straining to see the backseats door behind mine being pried open. I opened my mouth to ask Eddie if he was alright when I caught sight of the head poking its way into the car.

And it was definitely _not_ Eddie.

The red eyes of the Strigoi were focused on the unconscious form of Lissa, who had been buckled into the middle seat but was now splayed across the seat behind Dimitri, her blond hair a mess probably much alike mine. He cut her seatbelt off easily and began to pull her out of the car. Immediately, I began to wake up out of the slight trance I had been in.

He was taking Lissa.

"**NO! Leave her alone! I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!" **I thrashed against my own seatbelt, trying desperately to turn towards him, my hands lashing out though not falling anywhere close to him. He paid me no attention, which just seemed to piss me off even more. Easily, he lifted her out of the car and disappeared into the darkness above him. I screamed in frustration. Turning my body to the side once more, I tried to unlock my seatbelt, though the contraption seemed to be locked. I thrashed about in my seat again getting desperate, the car rocking about from my struggles. Next to me, Dimitri moaned, turning his head to face me, his expression dazed.

"**Ro…za?" **I stared at him, my own expression frantic.

"**I'VE GOT TO HELP HER! I'VE GOT TO SAVE HER AND KICK HIS ASS! WHAT'S WITH THIS DAMN SEAT BELT?" **I began to thrash about in my seat again, this time trying to slip out of the straps, though they too seemed to have locked around me like a prison, restraining me. Dimitri seemed to be pulling himself together. He turned and quickly unhooked his own seatbelt before kneeling on his broken door, which was against the ground.

His face came to my shoulder, his eyes focused on my seatbelt fasten as he began to smash it. Suddenly the restraints were released and I fell towards him, feeling my body collide with his arms. He quickly set my straight on the door next to him though it was still a very tight fit. We were practically pressed against one another.

"**Climb up through your window." **He pointed up to the window of my door, which had been broken. I nodded, and without hesitation began to climb using his seat and mine as leverage. I soon hoisted myself out into the darkness, alert for attackers. But nobody was around. I reached down to help Dimitri up, though he hardly needed it. Together we stood on the door of the car looking about us into the darkness.

_Nothing…._

The only light came from the front of our own car, which showed the empty road barely. There were no other cars, no traces of anybody else. We were alone.

"**No…" **I jumped down from the car, landing on the soft grass with a slight thud. It was springy from the dampness. The cold wind whipped at my hair and face but I ignored it, suddenly feeling empty. Nobody was here. On the grass by our car was dints where ours had rolled, and a little way away tire tracks were we had been hit from the side, but other than that, nothing. No other trace of anything else.

"**This cant be… NO! Eddie was right behind us! He would have seen what had happened! He wouldn't leave us… he… he…" **I was suddenly shaking though I wasn't cold, my body whipping around in all directions as if I expected something to be there though deep down I knew it wasn't. Just me, Dimitri and a broken car. I sunk the ground in defeat.

The seconds ticked by before I realised Dimitri had laid his hand on my shoulder. I leaned my head into his arm, feeling weak. He kneeled in the grass next to me, wrapping his arms around me, probably mistaking my shaking for being cold.

"**He probably did see what happened and carried on. He has two Royals to protect himself remember, we cant forget that. We don't know how many there was, for all we know we could have been outnumbered, and what good would it to be to loose the Ozera boy and Ivashkov as well as the Princess…" **His voice trailed off sadly. And I tried to digest what he was saying. I knew he was right, but that didn't mean it was right. Eddie was my friend, surely he wouldn't leave us? Leave Lissa…

She was gone.

I trembled, remembering the Strigoi carrying her away, how helpless she had been and how utterly useless I had. I scowled at the floor, suddenly feeling the anger replacing the numbness in my body. I knew I couldn't sit here, hoping somebody would come alone and pick us up. I knew what I had to do, it was obvious. I tried to slip into Lissa's mind, though she was still unconscious. All I could see was black. I would wait until she woke.

My sudden burst of energy surprised Dimitri as I suddenly stood up, not even bothering to dust myself off. Calmly, I began to look about me, looking for some clues to where they had headed. Surely, with the state their car would be in they wouldn't risk taking the highway, which meant they were heading in the same direction we had been going. I turned my head to the dark road, calculating how far it would go - not that it mattered. I didn't care if it went on four hundreds of miles, I would walk it to find Lissa. Dimitri, who had stood up quietly next to me, watching my face the entire time seemed to have guessed what I was planning. He signed, smiling slightly.

"**I know it would be useless to try talk you out of it. I owe Lissa my life, as well, so whatever you have in mind, count me in. Comrade."** I turned my head as he muttered the last word - the name I usually used mockingly when I spoke to him. I smiled, suddenly feeling extremely emotional, though I knew it wasn't the time for it. Instead, I just nodded my head, and turned back in the direction I intended to walk. I lifted my hand and pointed into the darkness, my voice confident.

"**We walk in the direction they had been going until Lissa comes too, then we find out where she is and hunt those bastards down." **

I didn't have to turn my head in his direction to see his agreement. It was the best option and he knew it. Instead, he stepped out and began the walk at a brisk pace, with me only a few steps behind him, both of us knowing this wouldn't be easy, and it sure as hell wasn't the smartest thing to do. But it was the right thing to do, and it was also what Lissa would do for me.

We were both supposed to be her guardians at one point before our feelings had come in the way of that. Right now, we were both acting as we should have done all those years ago, back at the academy - putting our own personal feelings for one another behind us to protect the one thing that did matter.

Lissa.

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Authors Note:

Eeek! Noo Lissa ;_; I struggled a little trying to think how Eddie would respond - but really, i think he would have his priorities in order not to endanger Christian and Adrian [: So hopefully that was in character of him to do :O Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's actually my favourite so far [: Thanks for reading and for the reviews - let me know what you guys would like to happen later on? Rose x Adrian or Rose x Dimitri :P


	8. Chapter 8

Authors Note:

^_^ Had a lovely day out in York today! Sorry i'm late updating this, started writing this and ended up going out for a meal with the family since it's my dads birthday xD Just got back and finished it off [: Anyway! Here's chapter 8, hope you enjoy! x

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

_I didn't have to turn my head in his direction to see his agreement. It was the best option and he knew it. Instead, he stepped out and began the walk at a brisk pace, with me only a few steps behind him, both of us knowing this wouldn't be easy, and it sure as hell wasn't the smartest thing to do. But it was the right thing to do, and it was also what Lissa would do for me. _

_We were both supposed to be her guardians at one point before our feelings had come in the way of that. Right now, we were both acting as we should have done all those years ago, back at the academy - putting our own personal feelings for one another behind us to protect the one thing that did matter._

_Lissa._

_

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_

I'm not sure how long we had been walking, probably hours though none of us spoke. I knew Dimitri was eyeing me with worry - he'd seen me like this before - but I did my best to ignore the looks and ignore he was even there. All my mind could process was battle plans to rescue Lissa and strategies for getting away.

It seemed I was checking if she was awake through our bond every ten minuets - but she was still out cold. Worriedly I tried not to think of why that would be. Were they keeping her asleep? Did they do something in the time I wasn't looking? I was a wreck though I did my best to hide my emotions and keep my face blank.

We had been walking for so long now that my legs no longer protested, my whole body feeling numb and moving mechanically. I would feel it tomorrow, I knew that but there was no time to worry about tomorrow. I was currently in the present, and all that mattered right now to me was getting Lissa back.

The sun rose in the sky casting red and golden hues into the sky, the clouds a murky purple. Today would be clearer, and though I knew at least that this would mean we wouldn't get attacked it also meant that the Strigoi were no longer in their car and had to be someplace safe. It just made me more determined.

"**Rose, we need to rest."** Dimitri finally cut the silence that we had kept up, and though my heart seemed to thump and extra beat at the sound of it, I did my best to ignore him and carried on walking. He seemed to sense that I didn't want to stop and quickly reached out and grabbed my arm, his finger nails pressing into my arm though hardly felt any pain. He would never hurt me.

"**We've been walking for almost 8 hours. We need to rest or we'll be in no shape to fight Strigoi."** Of course what he was saying was right. Dimitri was always right, but I refused to listen to his words. I needed to keep walking, I needed to rescue her.

"**No. I can keep going." **I made to pull out of his grasp and set off walking again, but his hold on me tightened. I couldn't move unless I attacked. I quickly began to form a plan in my mind of bringing my knee up into his stomach and making an escape when his words cut through my thoughts.

"**No Rose, you cant. If you carry on walking now and find them they will easily kill you and then Lissa. You need to rest, don't forget your training."** We stared at each other for a length of time, two sets of chocolatey brown eyes gazing at one another, each trying to argue their own cases through those looks. I knew he was right, and his words cut into me, though it wasn't the part about me dying that scared me, but that Lissa could.

I sighed and looked down, admitting my defeat. I felt his hold on me vanish as he released his hands, his eyes now scouting the trees. Without another word he set off left into them, ignoring the progress we had been making going straight forwards. Wordlessly I followed him, suddenly feeling wary.

We walked for a while through the trees, dodging fallen branches and wading through thick brush. I had scratches all up my arms but I ignored the sting, knowing it would fade soon. I had been through much worse. Soon we reached a slight clearing though it was only small, just a couple of feet in length cast in the shadows of the huge trees above it and protected by the thick brush around it. Gingerly we both waded through said brush earning even more scratches.

Looking around I eyed Dimitri wondering how he expected me to sleep in the forest. He was removing his jacket and laying it out on the floor like a quilt, smoothing it down so it laid pretty flat. I watched with interest. Once he had made sure it was flat he turned towards me his expression blank, it's usual Guardian mask.

"**I'll take first watch. You lay here and get some sleep." **I stared at him warily, suddenly feeling hurt. Did he not trust me?

"**I wont run away you know. We can both sleep, that way we wont have to stay up and keep watch." **He stared at me, probably trying to work out if I really was planning on running away or not. I stared at him right back, preparing for another silent battle but instead he just nodded and sat himself down on the coat. Seeing him spread his legs out along it I was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. I had done so much walking these last two days that it was a shock my body was even still standing. I was just glancing about the clearing looking for another good spot to settle down in myself when I felt his eyes on me.

"**Two can fit on here… If you like, that is." **He sounded wary almost as though he was afraid I would have the wrong idea, which of course I did. Still, I knew nothing would happen (I was too tired for one…) but also because of how he had been with me lately. Instead I just nodded and made my way over to the coat and sat next to him, spreading my own legs out as well.

Dimitri rolled onto his side so his back was too me and seemed to be trying to get to sleep. I followed his led and laid on my back staring up at the trees above, hyper aware of him next to me, of the heat radiating from his back and of the scent of him, now mixed in with the woodsy smell of the forest. My heart was pounding and my body tingling, aching for his touch that I knew would never come.

"**Not again…" **I rolled by eyes, though this time it was from amusement. I was stood on the training grounds of the Academy, my hair let loose around me and wearing a formfitting black dress. Without even seeing him I knew this wasn't just any dream - this was an Adrian dream.

"**Rose!" **He was suddenly rushing up to me, relief spread across his face his arms engulfing me in a huge hug. I hugged him back, suddenly happy to see him. It meant Eddie had got away safely, at least.

"**Where are you Rose? Are you okay? I was so worried… when your car flipped we all freaked out!" **He held me at arms length, looking me over as though expecting to see some grizzly mark from the crash. I just smiled at him, shaking my head.

"**I'm fine, it wasn't so bad actually, nobody was hurt… what happened when we flipped? The car just came out of no where…" **Adrian nodded vigorously, his eyes still wide.

"**We were a couple of feet behind you… Christian was chatting with Eddie about Eddie teaching him some self defence when we suddenly saw the car slam into you and push you guys over. It all happened so fast… then we saw another cars lights shine a couple of yards behind us and Eddie just put his foot on the accelerator and drove off really fast. Christian kept ordering him to turn around and help you guys out but Eddie refused to, he just kept repeating that everybody would be okay and that it was his duty to get us to safety… Christian was pretty miffed and I cant say I blame him… I hated leaving you back there" **

He gave a grim smile and shook his head.

"**But at least you guys all made it out okay. Where abouts are you? I'll tell Eddie to come ge-… Rose? Are you okay?"** I shook my head, feeling the tears forming under my lashes.

"**Uhm, No Adrian… we're not all okay. They took Lissa." **His arms dropped from around me as he stared at me in shock, his mouth hanging open.

"**They… Took… Lissa…" **He shook his head again as though trying to clear his head and I nodded, looking at the ground, suddenly feeling the good mood I had felt when I first saw him fade.

"**While Dimitri was out cold and I was pinned to the seat Strigoi came and took her from the car, leaving me and Dimitri. We're in the forest now getting some sleep, trying to follow the direction the car went." **Adrian nodded, his face still sombre.

"**I'll get Eddie to come pick you guys up. Stick to the road and we'll come."** I nodded, feeling pretty upset myself. Still, if it came to a fight I'd rather had Eddie there with me as well as Christian, they would both be pretty useful, and Eddie did have a car. We'd get to her faster.

"**I better go tell Eddie, he's been really worried and guilty about leaving you guys…" **Adrian shook his head again and a smile spread on his face as he stroked mine with his finger tips. I tried to smile in response, though I knew it was weak.

"**Yeah, tell him we'll be walking along the highway, though I suppose I've got to wake up first…" **My voice cut off as a mischievous look came over Adrian. I gulped, suddenly scared.

"**I can help you wake up…" **Suddenly the landscape changed and we were stood the bedroom at the wooden lodge we camped in that cold night. I looked around startled as awareness of the room came to me. This was the room we…

"**Adrian, what… why…" **He placed a finger to my lips to silence me, stepping closer so his face was just inches from mine. Even in my sleep I found it hard to breathe.

"**Just relax my little Dhampir, I'll wake you up." **I began to shake my head vigorously, hyper aware of just what we had done in this very room just two nights ago. He seemed to realise that, and he grinned at me wickedly. He reached out and began to unbutton the shirt he was wearing, his lust filled eyes never leaving mine.

Once his shirt was on the floor, he reached down to the waistbands of his jeans, his eyes sparkling. My mouth suddenly found it's voice though I was stuttering out the next words, my breathing never actually having returned to normal.

"**No… No… no, no…" **Suddenly the dream vanished as I was shook awake. My eyes shot open looking around me in panic at what had woken me. I was still lied on my back on Dimitri's coat, though the man himself was leaning over me, his hands on my shoulders, his beautiful face staring at me worriedly just inches from my own gasping form. I tried to even out my breathing so I could speak.

"**Dimitri? What.. What's going on? Are you okay?" **My voice was panicked, suddenly fearing the worse. Was there Strigoi? I contemplated sitting up, though I was ashamed to admit that the sight of him hovering over me was just to irresistible. I stayed still.

"**No, just you looked like you were having a nightmare. You kept muttering 'no, no' in your sleep. Are **_**you**_** okay?" **I stared at him a moment as my dream returned to me, my cheeks suddenly flooding with heat. I turned my eyes away, staring off to the side of me.

"**Of course. Just a bad dream, I'm fine…" **But Dimitri knew I was lying. He stared at me a while longer, and still I kept my eyes to the side, too embarrassed about my dream with Adrian.

"**If there's anything you want to talk to me about, you know I'm here Rose."** That had me spinning my head back to look at him again, shock covering my features.

"**You're joking right? Aren't you the one who's been avoiding me lately? Refusing to speak to me? Not wanting to see me after everything I went through to get you back to me? And now your telling me your hear to talk?" **I scoffed, feeling my embarrassment leave me and replaced with anger as well as hurt. **"You abandoned me."** My voice was harsh and slightly bitter, though I knew he felt the weight of it. His face twisted, dropping his usual guardian mask. He looked pained.

"**Rose… Roza, you know I only did it to protect you." **Now I was angry.

"**Protect me from what exactly? What does you ignoring me protect me from exactly?"**

"**From me. We were too close… before. If we had just been like student and master then you would have been able to stake me, and I wouldn't have hurt you all them weeks…" **His voice had trailed off to a whisper, the hurt obvious in his tone. I felt my own expression soften as I reached my hands up to brush the hair back from his face. He winced at my touch, but I ignored it.

"**I would go through hundreds of them weeks than to give up what we had. The time I spent with you, training and what not was really the best time I've ever have. It hurt me to have you ignore me, hurt me more than you ever did as a Strigoi." **Dimitri's eyes, filled with such grief and love were suddenly closer to me after I was done speaking, his lips just inches from my own as his hand cupped my cheek.

"**I'm glad I fell in love with you Roza. Ignoring you… it almost killed me to do it. I need you." **I smiled, wrapping the hand that had been stroking back his hair around his neck.

"**I need you, too. I love you Dimitri, so much." **I smiled, suddenly feeling elated as his lips came down on mine, his kiss hard yet passionate. I kissed him back just as fiercely, both of us feeling the need we had for one another through the kiss. I had missed him so, so much. More than I had even thought I had. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the full extent of the moment kicked in, his arms now around my waist pulling me closer as mine wrapped around his neck, bringing his lips closer to me as our kiss deepened.

He was finally back.

My Dimitri.

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Authors Note:

**-squeal-** yey [: Rose x Dimitri. I'm such a big RXD it's unreal, and I'm glad you guys feel the same! Have you heard about the movie of VA?

I'm all for Sophia Bush as Rosemarie Hathaway, Elizabeth Harnois as Vasilisa Dragomir and Ben Barne as Dimitri Belikov [: what you all think? I just love love love love! Ben Barne as Dimitri, he is just perfect for me xD Hehe! Anyway! Hope you enjoyed the chapter [:


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note:

Roses' EVIL twin - :O … he is a fitty xD I could deffo see him as Dimitri too :O Here' chapter 9 guys, I had a bit of trouble writing this since I kept trying to think what Dimitri would do in this situation, so I hope I did him justice xD Thanks for all the positive reviews guys :D It's really awesome to log on and see those [:

Anyone fancy being a beta? I've been reading through my work and I'm pretty ashamed to say I miss quite a lot out that I never seem to notice until ages after ;_; If anyone's interested email me and send me some of your work, what your strengths / weaknesses are and we'll see what we can do (since I'm also planning another VA story xD ) [:

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KEY: - See first chapter.

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Disclaimer:

Do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's canon characters / places. Purely a fanfic for your reading pleasure :D

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Recap:

"_**I need you, too. I love you Dimitri, so much." **__I smiled, suddenly feeling elated as his lips came down on mine, his kiss hard yet passionate. I kissed him back just as fiercely, both of us feeling the need we had for one another through the kiss. I had missed him so, so much. More than I had even thought I had. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the full extent of the moment kicked in, his arms now around my waist pulling me closer as mine wrapped around his neck, bringing his lips closer to me as our kiss deepened._

_He was finally back._

_My Dimitri. _

_

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_

The kiss seemed to go on forever, both us feeling the need and want for one another that we had missed all those months apart. I clung onto him long after we had pulled apart, both of us gasping for breath. For a while we just laid like that, side by side in some strange forest on the side of a country lane just staring at one another.

Eventually I remembered the dream with Adrian, how he said Eddie would meet us on the main road. Reluctantly, I pulled back away from Dimitri, looking about me trying to work out how long we had been laying there for. Dimitri sat up with me, brushing the hair back from my face gently. I smiled, loving the feel of his fingertips on my face. I sighed, knowing that we couldn't do this all day, though I certainly wanted too…

"**We have to go… Eddie's on the road looking for us and I said we'd be on there walking up and down…" **Dimitri nodded, raising to his feet fluently and offered me his hand, helping me to my feet before picking up his coat and dusting It off. With a nod to me, we began to wade our way back to the main road, both of us silent. Once we had reached the side we began to walk in the direction we had been heading before, still neither of us saying a word. Curiously, I peeked at him at the side of me, surprised when I saw his expression grim.

"**Dimitri? Are you okay?" **I frowned, feeling like an idiot for having to have to ask. He shook his head, still frowning.

"**Rose, how do you know Eddie's looking for us? Wait, no. You don't have to answer that, I already know." **He laughed, and the sound was bitter, devoid of any humour. **"I suppose I also know the answer to what you were dreaming about as well."** I had stopped walking, too shocked to carry on. He knew about Adrian's ability to enter dreams? Well, of course he would know, Lissa had probably told him. I groaned inwardly, suddenly feeling like an idiot.

"**Look, it's not like you think it is, seriously. He just visited my dream to see if we were all okay and I told him about Lissa… it's not like anything happened." **I felt stupid lyring to him, knowing that he would know. I could see the disbelief in his expression as he turned to stare at me, too far away for my liking. What? He didn't want to be near me now?

"**Of course it's not like that. I'm such an idiot… You're with Ivashkov, how could I have forgotten. Of course it's like that Rose! You're both dating!" **I stepped forwards, feeling the anger from earlier return to me.

"**You're right! We are dating, but that doesn't change anything between us! You know I love you, and you know I only started dating him because I thought it would help me move on, but it didn't! I only wanted you and that hasn't changed at all! I'll sort things out with Adrian, everything will be alright…" **Dimitri shook his head and mimicked me, taking a step forwards as well.

"**No, it's not going to be alright. You're right, you should move on, what happened back there shouldn't have… i shouldn't have. Look, just forget it ever happened okay? Be happy with him, at least he will never hurt you." **His voice was once again bitter, his expression pained. I shook my head, feeling angry tears spring to my eyes. I stepped across the gap between us, grasping his shirt with both my arms as I stared up at him.

"**Don't say that! Don't ever ask me to forget anything between us, because I wont! I don't care what you did to me as a Strigoi, I've told you that! I don't care what you say to me, Adrian isn't right for me! I love YOU, and nothing you can do or say will stop tha-" **My voice was cut off by his lips on mine, silencing me. His kiss was urgent, and just as quickly he pulled away from me, his own hands gripping my shoulders. He shook me slightly.

"**You never listen to me, do you? You never make the right choices.." **He shook his head. Hesitantly, I placed my hand on his cheek, loving the way he leaned into my touch.

"**That's where your wrong, comrade. I know I've made the right choice." **His smile echoed across my own face as we both stood there for a while, basking in the love we felt.

"**Rose, I know your eager for us to be like we was… but for now we need to keep our feelings to ourselves, at least until everything dies down and we get Lissa back. Now is not the time for distractions… you understand this, right?" **I nodded my head, knowing what he was saying was right. We both needed to keep our head on the mission in front of us.

Reluctantly, we pulled apart for the second time, my heart aching at the separation. We carried on walking, this time discussing safer things, talking about various plans to rescue Lissa. The time passed by pretty fast and before long we caught sight of Eddie's people carrier speeding down the road towards us. My heart almost stopped at the sight of it, knowing what it brought and also what I had to do. I was never any good at turning people down, Mason had been proof of that.

As the car came to a stop, Eddie leapt out followed closely by Adrian. Both of them crowded around us, Eddie demanding to know how we escaped and just what happened exactly. Adrian was silent, staring between me and Dimitri closely, probably reading our auras. I saw his shoulders slump, his eyes turning down to glare at the road. I felt my heart throb. He knew.

I looked back at the car to see Christian still sat there, his expression hard and expressionless. It was obvious he knew about Lissa, and instantly I felt the guilt wash back over me. It had been all my fault. As Eddie and Dimitri finished up whatever they had been saying, they both indicated for both me and Adrian to climb back in the car. Adrian turned without a word and climbed in beside Christian. I frowned, though tried to look indifferent as I climbed into the far back seats on my own, Eddie and Dimitri having taken the driver and passenger seat. I tried to ignore the look Dimitri had given me, clearly questioning if Dimitri knew or not. I didn't want to talk about it.

Me, Christian and Adrian travelled in silence whilst Eddie and Dimitri carried on the conversation I had had early, talking through plans and theories. I shut them off, suddenly not wanting to hear it. Instead, I leaned back in my seat, shutting my eyes and concentrating on the bond, trying to urge Lissa to wake up through it. I knew It was a long shot, and a pretty stupid idea, but I was still determined.

Eventually I must have fallen asleep, my dreams twisting as I was pulled into Lissa's mind, though she was still out cold. All around me all I could see was darkness, even my own body invisible to the darkness. Panic began to flood around me, my eyes trying to determine a way out of this hell though all I could see was darkness. All around me I could feel the strange swirl of frosty air and the occasional cold breeze, my hair tickling my face as it swirled round me. I shivered into the silence, both from fear and the cold.

Suddenly, I was aware that this wasn't my reality. This was Lissa's. I was in her mind, that everything I was feeling wasn't really happening to me, but Lissa. Wherever she was it was cold and because of this she could feel it in her mind. The dark expense around me suddenly took on another meaning. She was still out cold, but that didn't mean she wasn't coming too. Already she could feel the temperature, and that meant she was making progress.

I spurred her on mentally, still feeling a little creeped out at what i - Lissa - was seeing and feeling. I knew she was scared and that feeling was intensifying my own fear. I shivered again, wanting to get out of this and out of her mind when suddenly I heard what she did. Voices. At first it was just a quiet murmur too low to understand, but the more Lissa strained to hear it the louder and clearer it became and the sound of the voices around her became known. Two male Strigoi were arguing.

"**Why not Axel? She's the last of her kind, the last of the Dragomir's! We should kill her now, why delay?" **The voice was harsh and angry, a ferocious snarl sounded at the end. I could feel the fear pass through Lissa as another voice answered, much calmer.

"**Because young Ryan, she is the key to the Guardian to us. With her in our grasp, the Shampir is bound to come after her, it's only a matter of time."**

"**Why wait! We should go to them! We had them in the car, why not end it then if you just planned to kill them?"**

"**That would be too easy. Why end it so quickly when we are having so much fun toying with them? You will find, Ryan, that when you can live forever, little things such as this are a glorious past time. You don't know how boring immortality can be."**

"**Maybe so, but this, sitting about and waiting is boring! I'm so thirsty… I want her. Just one bite Axel…"**

"**NO!" **Suddenly the sound of snarling and growling filled the darkness toppled with what sounded like a fight.

"**Don't make me kill you Ryan. I don't want too, but I will if you carry on defying me!" **Suddenly, Lissa felt the feel of her body coming back to her. She was no longer unconscious, the ability to open her eyes now possible, but she was afraid too, afraid of what she would see. Instead, she kept her eyes clamped shut and tried to keep breathing as normally as she could.

"**Now listen to me. We will wait here and the Guardian will come, I know how they work, how could they not when we hold their precious Princess here with us? All we do now is wait, and for her to wake up. In the meantime, go check on the others, I don't want them ripping each other apart before we have time to greet our guest…"**

Suddenly, I didn't want to hear anymore. Concentrating closely, I tried to pull back into my own body. With a gasp, I was back in the car, opening my eyes to see three sets of worried eyes on me, Eddie in the drivers seat demanding if I was okay. I nodded hesitantly before telling them all what I had heard - skipping over the part about the darkness for Christian's sake, he still looked pretty shaken up.

Dimitri looked pretty shock at the mention they were after a Dhampir, and though he didn't have to say it, I knew what he was thinking. I was the one they wanted. In my head I tried to think of who in the Strigoi world would want me dead, though I kept coming up blank. Was it possible I had made some sort of immortal enemy I didn't know about? It was possible, very possible.

"**Well, they know we're coming, so we've lost the element of surprise." **It was Eddie who spoke, his voice cutting into my own personal thoughts. Dimitri nodded, his expression serious.

"**Yes, but there's no way we cant not go. If from what Rose saw is correct then Lissa is awake and waiting on us to come get her. We cant delay, surprise or not we need to get there quickly." **As he spoke Eddie had hit the gas, accelerating even faster. I was pulled back in my seat from the speed, though I was grateful for it. We would get to her sooner.

As we drove up the road we saw an off road appear. Without stopping to discuss it Eddie took the turn and began speeding down the dusty path and away from the concrete road we had been on. Dust flew up around it and Eddie was forced to slow down or risk crashing us into a tree. The forest was surrounded us, and by the looks of it we were driving deeper and deeper into it. Pulling the car over, Eddie turned off the engine and turned to face us all. Dimitri turned in his seat too, and we all stared at one another seriously.

"**We best walk from here so we at least have a shot at a surprise entrance. Plus, the suns still out, so we will have an advantage in that area at least." **We all nodded, before all our eyes flashed to Adrian. He looked around at us confused.

"**What?" **Then we all looked at Dimitri. He was the oldest, he should at least brake the news.

"**Well… the thing is Adrian, Spirits not exactly a useful weapon against Strigoi…" **Dimitri cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.** "We all think you should stay in the car." **Adrian shook his head looking outraged.

"**Are you kidding me? You cant leave me here alone! For all your know they could be lurking in the trees or something, and you expect me to sit in this car, alone?" **Dimitri shook his head, now looking annoyed. It was obvious he just wanted to get out and fight some Strigoi. Negotiating with stubborn Royal Moroi was not his area of expertise.

"**No Strigoi will come. It's too bright. Look Adrian, your staying here whether we have to make you stay or not." **Now his voice was taking on it's Guardian's edge, though I was sure the threatening was something else. Jealousy? Whatever it was it seemed to work, and Adrian slumped in his chair looking extremely pissed off. I knew it would take a lot for him to forgive me for this, but it was better then having him come and never able to forgive me because he's not around anymore. Following the lead of the others I climbed out of the car, making sure my Stake was secured within easy grasp. Turning back to the car, Eddie locked the doors before returning the keys to his pocket.

"**Look, we best hope we all make it out of there alive, otherwise he…" **Eddie jerked his head in the direction of Adrian still sulking in the car. **"Is gonna be there for a looong time." **He was trying to lighten the mood but I just didn't feel it. I could just feel the anger towards the Strigoi down the road and that's all that I wanted to feel right now. Eddie seemed to take the hint. **"Ok, well, let's go." **We all nodded and set off, Christian still slightly behind us not able to keep up with our superior Dhampir speed. Still, he did pretty well considering.

Eventually we came around a sharp corner, and there waiting for us at the other side was a large cabin, completely windowless and creepy looking. I just knew this was the place where Lissa was and it scared me to see it, see how dark, dismal and cold it looked. Yet she was inside, and god knows how many Strigoi was with her. But there was one thing I did know. Axel and Ryan were mine. We all exchanged looks, trying to encourage one another with it. With a nod to one another, we each set off towards the cabin filled with Strigoi.

Maybe I was crazy after all.

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Authors Note:

Hehe ! Hope you liked this chapter, like i said i had a bit of trouble with thinking of how Dimitri would react, but hopefully i judged him right ^_^ Like i said above, looking for a Beta reader (either for this projects future chapters) or another VA i was thinking of writing [: Email me if your interested! Thanks for the reviews xxx


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